When it comes to protecting its agricultural industry, Japan is as shameless as the EU and the US. Despite US beef being deemed safe enough, Japan remains guarded on importing US beef. Many suspect that Japan has used recurrent "mad cow" episodes as an excuse to develop its own beef industry (moo). In any event, it's fun to see how agricultural subsidizers deal with each other in a holier-than-thou fashion. Is Japan concerned with protecting its citizens from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or protecting its domestic industry? Read on:Japan has no immediate plans to relax its strict conditions on imports of U.S. beef, despite a decision by an international body saying some restrictions were not necessary, the government said Wednesday.
Japan only allows imports of U.S. beef from cattle not more than 20 months old, citing concerns about mad cow disease, which is believed to be more likely to affect older animals. The U.S. has called for that restriction to be eased.
The World Organization for Animal Health recently said the United States was a "controlled risk nation," a category that means countries can export beef irrespective of the animal's age, according to Toshio Katagai, a health ministry official.
The organization's decision was reached at a meeting in Paris to discuss the safety of animal products.
However, Japan will not immediately revise its policy on U.S. beef, the government said Wednesday.
"This will not lead to an immediate change of Japan's import conditions," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said. "It is important to respond to this issue by taking concrete steps in line with scientific facts to ensure food safety and consumers' trust."
