Japan to decide next week on US beef
Japan will decide next week on when to remove a ban on US beef imports imposed over fears of made cow disease.
Lifting the embargo would remove a major obstacle in relations with the United States before Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visits Washington later this month.
"We want to show a sense of direction next week. By taking into account the various opinions that have been exchanged, we are going to take the next step," Agriculture Minister Shoichi Nakagawa told reporters Friday.
He said his ministry will come up with details of measures to ensure safety, such as a potential dispatch of Japanese inspectors to US meatpackers.
The United States has voiced optimism about lifting the embargo by the end of June.
But consumer groups have expressed opposition during public hearings, saying there were not enough safety guarantees.
Tokyo first banned imports of US beef in December 2003 after a cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, was discovered in the US state of Washington.
Japan lifted a two-year import ban on US beef in December under intense pressure, including legal threats of retaliatory trade sanctions.
But it reimposed the ban on January 20 after a shipment contained parts of a cow considered risky for mad cow disease, in breach of agreed guidelines.
AFP
