The health ministry said Tuesday it is debating what body parts to include in a ban on using domestically raised cows and sheep as raw materials in medicines and cosmetics.
There is already a ban on the use of such materials from other countries where the outbreak of mad cow disease has been confirmed. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will extend the ban to nations where the contamination risk has not been evaluated, ministry officials said.
The steps are a followup to the Sept. 22 confirmation of Japan's first known case of mad cow disease.