Japan Press Weekly

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2012 October 17 - 23 [AGRICULTURE]

98% in public opinion poll oppose deregulation on US beef imports

Akahata on October 16 reported that the overwhelming majority of the public are in “opposition” to easing regulations on U.S. beef imports taken as measures to prevent BSEs.

Currently, Japan imports U.S. beef of only under 20-month old cows with all risky parts removed, but the Food Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office seeks to change this condition to allow U.S. beef of up to 30-months old without risky parts removed to be imported.

In the government-collected public opinion poll, however, 97.8 % turned out to be in “opposition” to the change. Some respondents stated: The Fukushima nuclear crisis has reminded us of the importance of risk management, so counter-BSE measures should be as strict as possible; Data are insufficient to decide on the deregulation because the United States conducts BSE testing on only 0.13% of cattle; and Don’t obey everything the U.S. tells us to do.

The U.S. administration and U.S. multinational corporations have called on Japan to lift its restrictions on the cattle age regarding beef trade. If the government goes ahead with the change despite public opposition, the Japanese Food Safety Commission will be called into question.