Anger, concern and a feeling of betrayal swirled among consumers, retailers and restaurants after the government announced that a shipment of beef imported from the United States contained material considered at risk of carrying mad cow disease.

"What on earth did the mission dispatched to the United States late last year check?" asked Hiroko Mizuhara, chief of the Consumer Union of Japan. "They were fooled by the United States.

"The problem cannot be limited to the meat processor in question. We want the government to check all authorized exporters thoroughly," she said.