U.S. beef exported to Japan is estimated to total about 100,000 tons in 2006, one-third the level prior to the ban imposed in December 2003, the president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation said Thursday.

"We hope we're wrong, but that's what we're looking at," Philip Seng said at a news conference in Tokyo.

Seng said he hoped the U.S. beef imports would regain the preban level of 300,000 tons per year in three years.