Japan did not keep its promise to send officials to check U.S. meatpacking plants before resuming U.S. beef imports in December, farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa admitted Monday.
"It was not possible to check if conditions for resuming U.S. beef imports were being met until we actually resumed imports," Nakagawa said in response to questions from Democratic Party of Japan member Yoshihisa Matsuno before the House of Representatives Budget Committee session.
He also apologized and said he would "consider how to take responsibility" for deciding not to go forward with the inspections before resuming beef imports, an inaction that may have been partially to blame for a beef shipment that contained banned materials and resulting in the ban being reinstated.