NHK claimed that complaints had been received by people from all over the country, who had experienced symptoms similar to that of food poisoning.
Maruha Nichiro Holdings, which operates the plant Gunma Prefecture, where the frozen food products were made, said in a statement that it began the recall of 6.4m packages of various frozen foods on 29 December.
The recall was a voluntary move by the company and was made due to fears that the products could be contaminated with pesticides, in what has been reported as the country’s largest food scandal.
Authorities are currently examining the cause of the health problems to see if they can be traced back to pesticides. Meanwhile, consumers are being urged to return the affected products to the firm.