Japan to hold nationwide hearings on lifting U.S. beef imports ban

The Japanese government plans to hold nationwide public hearings in June over the country's prolonged ban on U.S. beef imports due to fears of mad cow disease, local press reported on Wednesday.

Starting June 1, officials from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will inform consumers and business operators of recent bilateral talks and listen to their opinions at 10 locations throughout Japan, government sources said.

During previous public hearings held by the government in April, Japanese consumers expressed concern about the safety of U.S. beef.

Japan suspended all U.S. beef imports on Jan. 20, only a month after resuming the trade, as it detected in a U.S. beef shipment a bovine spine, which is banned in Japan for fear of the mad cow disease.

The Japanese government has urged the U.S. side to consider how to regain the trust of Japanese consumers first before asking Japan to raise the beef imports ban.

Source: Xinhua