Real Value of Japan's One Trillion Yen BSE Tests
JAPAN - Questions about the effectiveness of Japan’s policy of testing 100 per cent of cattle for BSE were raised in a seminar hosted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Local Japanese Agencies Continue BSE Testing Alone
JAPAN - All 77 of the nation's meat inspection stations plan to continue testing domestically slaughtered cattle aged 20 months or younger for mad cow disease after central government subsidies for the testing end in August, it was learned Friday.

"Unsafe" U.S. Beef May Have Been Sold in Japan
JAPAN - U.S. beef that does not meet Japanese safety regulations has been imported into the country and some may have been already sold to consumers, the Japanese government said on late on Saturday.

BSE Measures Law Has Bark But No Bite
JAPAN - Meat from a cow temple, which is banned by law as a specified risk material, is suspected to have been taken out from a meat-processing center in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, but the violators will get off scot-free because the law does not provide...

Report May Lead To Looser Beef Import Rule
JAPAN - A report due out this week likely represents an initial step toward the government relaxing its stringent conditions on beef imports from the United States.

Japan: Public Should Have Say
JAPAN - In its recent interim report on the two domestically raised cows that were diagnosed with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 2003, the health ministry's research team said it could not confirm the infectiousness of the two cows--23 months...

Japan Tells U.S. Trade Report 'Inaccurate,'
TOKYO - Japan said Thursday that current restrictions on U.S. beef imports should be strictly adhered to rather than relaxed, striking back at a U.S. report on trade barriers that it termed "inaccurate."

BSE Infection From Young Cattle To Mice Not Confirmed
JAPAN - Experiments on mice showed that mad cow disease in two cattle aged 21 and 23 months old was not contagious, a finding that could change attitudes about food safety.

Japan Suspects Mad Cow Disease In Bovine
TOKYO — Preliminary tests on a 6-year-old cow in western Japan indicate it may be infected with mad cow disease, a health official said Tuesday.

Japan Says Science Will Determine Fate Of U.S. Beef
JAPAN - Japan Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoshio Kobayashi said Thursday that accurate scientific data, not pressure from Washington, should be the determining factor in whether his country decides to remove current restrictions...

Japan May Ease U.S. Beef Inspections
JAPAN - Japan may scale back stringent inspections of U.S. beef imports that were imposed over mad cow fears, a senior health official was quoted as saying Monday.

Gene-engineered cattle resist BSE
JAPAN - US and Japanese scientists reported on Sunday that they had used genetic engineering to produce cattle that resist mad cow disease.

Japan Reports 30th BSE Case
JAPAN - A 5-year and 4-month-old female cow, which died last week in northern Japan, has tested positive for mad cow disease, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Monday. This is the 30th case of confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy...

Japan finds fresh violation of US beef import rules
JAPAN - Japan has said it will ban imports of beef from one US factory for violating safety guidelines against madcow disease reached after a bitter bilateral feud. Faced with threats of sanctions, Japan in July agreed to resume US beef imports on condition...

Poll: Japanese Consumers Warming To U.S. Beef
JAPAN - A national study of Japanese consumers by Tokyo-based Macromill for the U.S. Meat Export Federation showed that 52 percent agree with the government's decision to resume imports of U.S. beef, and roughly the same number were either positive...

Japanese Authorities Confirm 29th Case of BSE
JAPAN - The authorities in Japan have confirmed the country's 29th case of mad cow disease. The Agriculture Ministry said tests had confirmed that a 75-month-old Holstein cow from a farm on the northern island of Hokkaido had been infected with mad...

29th suspected case of mad cow in Japan
JAPAN - A cow in northern Japan is suspected of having the country's 29th case of mad cow disease, an official said Tuesday. Preliminary tests on the animal at the Ishikari Livestock Hygiene Service Center in Hokkaido prefecture on Japan's northernmost...

Fans celebrate return of Yoshinoya beef bowl after lifting of US beef ban
JAPAN - Japanese diners have celebrated the eagerly waited return of gyudon, a beef bowl dish by the Yoshinoya restaurant chain, after Japan lifted a ban on US beef imports. The fast-food chain took on a symbolic status during Japan's ban on US beef...

Japan not to ease rule on U.S. beef imports: Farm Ministry official
JAPAN - Japanese Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoshio Kobayashi said Thursday that Japan has no plans at present to ease its rule on U.S. beef imports. Kobayashi made the remark at a press conference after U.S. Agriculture Secretary...

Japan has a cow over American beef
JAPAN - It's been weeks since Japan ditched its import ban on U.S. beef and the first shipment went on sale, but American beef is nowhere to be seen at supermarkets here - except this nation's five Costco stores. Many Japanese are worried about the...