Japanese panel rules U.S. beef safe enough, paves way for easing of ban

TOKYO (AP) - Japan took a step toward resuming imports of U.S. beef Monday when a government panel ruled the risk of mad cow infection in U.S. beef is extremely low if proper precautions are taken. The panel on mad cow disease forwarded its report to the full Food Safety Commission, which is expected to consider it on Wednesday.

Japan banned U.S. beef in December 2003 after the discovery of the first U.S. case of the bovine illness. At the time, Japan was the most lucrative overseas market for U.S. beef, and an increasingly impatient Washington has pushed hard for a resumption of the trade.

Last week, 21 U.S. senators introduced legislation that would force President George W. Bush to impose tariffs on Japan if it does not lift the ban.

"Based on the assumption that all precautions are taken as requested, we consider the difference in risk between U.S. and Japanese beef to be extremely small," panel chairman Yasuhiro Yoshikawa said, reading the report to his colleagues.

Media reports say the decision will lead to a resumption of imports of beef products from U.S. cows younger than 21 months old as early as the end of this year. No case of mad cow has ever been discovered in animals of that age.

Yoshikawa, however, urged Japanese officials to keep a close eye on U.S. safety measures to make sure they are sufficient, and warned that any lapses should trigger a resumption of the import ban.

"Imports must be stopped if there is a concern of a risk to humans," he said.

Approval by the Food Safety Commission will not automatically lift the ban, however. First, the health and agriculture ministries will hold a month of public hearings on beef safety before the government will make a decision.

Agriculture Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, appointed Monday in a Cabinet reshuffle, signaled a decision was still down the road.

"We will move ahead step by step by taking the necessary procedures, considering the safety of food and seeking the understanding of the people before making a final cabinet decision," Nakagawa said after assuming his post.

Before resuming imports, the ministries are expected to send inspection teams to the United States to check whether U.S. beef meets Japanese standards such as having risk materials like brains and spinal cords removed, Kyodo News agency reported.

Japan has tested every domestic cow for the disease since its first case in 2002, and initially demanded that the United States do the same. Japan has found 20 domestic cases of the disease so far.

U.S. authorities, however, balked at the cost of testing the huge American herd and argued that it was not scientifically necessary.

After lengthy negotiations, the U.S. and Japan this year agreed that Tokyo would allow the import of U.S. beef from younger cows. The Japanese side, however, said approval was needed by the Food Safety Commission.

Low-cost beef-rice restaurants in Japan have pushed for a lifting of the ban, but finicky Japanese consumers remain deeply wary of American beef, with recent polls showing that nearly 70 per cent opposed lifting the ban.

Further delays in overturning the ban could risk more tensions with the United States ahead of a Nov. 15-16 visit by Bush.

Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Saturday in Washington that he hoped to see an early end to domestic deliberations on lifting the ban, while Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ryozo Kato said he expects the panel to declare American beef safe for Japanese consumption soon.

Scientists agree that beef from cattle infected with mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, causes a fatal brain disorder in humans.

© The Canadian Press, 2005