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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

300 municipalities oppose U.S. beef imports

As of July 1, 24 prefectures and 276 municipalities throughout Japan have adopted resolutions in opposition to the government move to lift the ban on beef from the United States, where the second BSE-infected cow was confirmed.

The Takeda City Assembly in Oita Prefecture on June 29 adopted a resolution opposing the hasty resumption of U.S. beef imports, and called for thorough measures to block BSE, and sent it to Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro, Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare Otsuji Hidehisa, and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shimamura Yoshinobu.

In contrast, in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, all political parties (Liberal Democratic, Democratic, Komei parties, and Seikatsusha Network), except for the Japanese Communist Party, voted against a resolution calling for BSE test on all cattle to be continued, and instead used their majority to adopt a resolution that calls only for removal of risky parts from beef and cancellation of the BSE tests on all cattle, providing the way to resume U.S. beef imports. - Akahata, July 2, 2005