Japan says progress made in BSE dispute with US
JAPAN - A senior Japanese Farm Ministry official said on Thursday that progress has been made in resolving a dispute with the United States over beef trade, a day after a meeting between mad cow experts from the two countries. Source: Reuters<...

U.S. beef ban affects restaurants
TOKYO - The Japanese food industry is starting to realize how badly it has been hit by the effects of a ban placed on imports of U.S. beef nearly a year ago following the detection of cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, in...

Japan, U.S. in Talks to Review Beef Cattle Test Methods
JAPAN - Japanese and U.S. agriculture officials are in talks in Tokyo to review ways to confirm the age of beef cattle apart from tests for mad cow disease before a partial resumption of beef trade. The talks follow Japanese missions to the U.S. and...

Japan introduces new internet-based beef tracking system
JAPAN - Japan took one step closer to total traceability this week when retailers and restaurants selling beef introduced a beef tracing system – making the coverage of Japan's tracking system probably the widest in the world. From now on all beef...

7 arrested in beef buyback swindle
JAPAN - The chairman of a meat wholesaler and six others were arrested Monday in a beef-buyback scam that authorities say netted them hundreds of millions of yen, and possibly more. They are accused of repackaging imported beef and labeling it as domestic...

Japan deal offers hope to beef producers
JAPAN - A recent thawing by the Japanese government on American beef exports bodes well for an eventual resumption of full live cattle trade between the United States and Canada, according to Alberta Beef Producers finance chairman Erik Butters. “It’s...

6 out of 10 surveyed would shun U.S. beef
JAPAN - More than six out of 10 consumers said they would still avoid U.S. beef when imports are resumed, according to an Asahi Shimbun survey. U.S. beef imports were suspended in December 2003 following confirmation of the country's first case of bovine...

Japan, US reach interim agreement on beef trade
JAPAN - Japan and the United States have reached an interim agreement on the resumption of trade in beef -- but nothing firm is yet on paper. According to the US Department of Agriculture American exports could resume as early as the second half of...

BSE Negotiators Want Magic Fix
JAPAN - Representatives from Japan and the United States will consult in Tokyo on the BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) issue. At the meeting negotiators will discuss issues related to the resumption of mutual trade of U.S. and Japanese beef, based...

Japan To Have Double Standard On BSE Testing
JAPAN - In a step already under fire from restaurant operators, Japan is now expected to allow shipments of U.S. beef not tested for mad cow disease even while helping domestic localities continue blanket testing, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in...

Japan to continue mad cow tests on all local beef
JAPAN - Japan's local governments will apparently continue to test all domestic cattle for mad cow disease despite the government asking a panel to discuss the possibility of excluding cows aged under 20 months old. Source: Mainichi Daily News...

Japan's Farm, Health Ministries Propose BSE Test-Policy Change
JAPAN - Japan's Agricultural and Health Ministries proposed excluding cattle younger than 20 months old from testing for mad cow disease, a document submitted to the ruling party showed. A change in cattle-testing policy may clear the way for resumption...

Japanese discover 14th case of BSE
JAPAN - four-year old cow found dead in a field in the town of Shikaoi tested positive for BSE, becoming Japan's 14th reported case of BSE. The rest of the herd has been isolated and will be tested, and officials are attempting to trace the feed given...

Japan unlikely to end beef ban
JAPAN - Japan is unlikely to resume U.S. beef imports this year because of objections from the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, according to a report published Wednesday. Japan's Agriculture and Health ministries have proposed exempting cattle...

Japan wants more info before easing U.S. mad cow ban
JAPAN - Japan's Agriculture Ministry, considering conditions to resume U.S. beef imports, said on Friday it needs more information on how to tell the age of American cattle, as a U.S. explanation was insufficient. Source: Reuters

Beef Ban Losses
JAPAN - Reports from Japan indicate that the loss of U.S. beef imports could have a multi-billion yen effect on the country’s restaurant and retail trade. The UFJ Institute in Japan published a report indicating that if the ban on U.S. imports continues...

Japan confirms 13th case of mad cow disease
TOKYO - Japan confirmed its 13th case of mad cow disease Wednesday after a slaughtered Holstein tested positive for the brain-wasting illness, a government food safety official said. The 8-year-old dairy cow in Nara prefecture, or state, was found to...

Cow tests BSE positive in Nara, Japan
JAPAN - An 8-year-old slaughtered Holstein cow has tested positive in two rounds of mad cow disease inspections at a meat distribution center in Nara Prefecture, the prefectural government said Tuesday. Source: JapanToday

Japan eases on BSE testing for all U.S. cattle
JAPAN - Japan has eased its requirements for reopening the country to U.S. beef imports, a move that could help bring back the largest foreign market for the American cattle industry. Source: The Denver Post

Groups Want BSE Issue Over
TOKYO - Frustrated by eight months of mad cow stalemate over Japan's ban on U.S. beef and beef product imports, a loosely organized group that includes major U.S. international beef firms and Japanese food service organizations has resorted to a "grass...