The retail price of beef hit a record 689 yen per 100 grams in the business week through last Friday as consumers increasingly turned to domestic produce in the wake of the import ban on U.S. beef, the farm ministry said Monday.
The average price was up 8 yen over the previous week for the first rise in four weeks, the ministry said.
The average price of domestic frozen beef loin was the highest since the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry started compiling these statistics last August.
The average retail price of imported beef gained 3 yen to 376 yen during the same period, the first rise in three weeks.
"Demand stemming from moves to replace imported beef with domestic beef is on the rise, so we will monitor prices closely," said an official at the Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau.
Japan banned imports of U.S.-produced beef following the first mad cow disease case in the United States around the end of last year.
The average retail price of pork loin rose by 1 yen to a record 240 yen per 100 grams.