The sudden exit this month of six of the 12 members of an expert group on food safety has shaken trust in the government's Food Safety Commission, as those who left were regarded by consumer organizations as cautious about lifting the ban on U.S. beef imports.
The expert group on prions -- the abnormal protein regarded as the cause of mad cow disease -- falls under the Food Safety Commission, which was created in July 2003 and is part of the Cabinet Office.
The expert group is headed by Yasuhiro Yoshikawa, 59, a professor at the University of Tokyo.