WASHINGTON (Kyodo) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said Monday he wants Japan to resume importing U.S. beef by July.

But Johanns told reporters that he has neither set nor demanded a deadline for Japan. He reiterated that he is asking Tokyo to set a date to lift the 16-month-old ban and resume imports.

Referring to an earlier bilateral agreement to review the terms of beef trade by July, Johanns said, "I just hope it'll be sooner than that."