U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack suggested Wednesday that restarting talks on beef imports, subject to prolonged restrictions because of concerns over mad cow disease, will take priority on his visit to Japan.
Vilsack and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu are scheduled to hold talks Thursday.
"I think it's important to recognize that we have a new government here in Japan and a relatively new government in the United States," Vilsack told reporters, expressing his hope to resume full-scale discussions, including those on technical matters.