Fresh eggs from Japan can now be exported to the United States after a restriction on their shipment was lifted Tuesday, the farm ministry said.
Tokyo had been requesting that Washington allows raw egg exports since 2004. Previously, eggs shipped to the United States were limited to those sterilized with heat, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.
Fresh egg exports from Japan to Hawaii and states in the Western U.S. can now be expected, the ministry said.
To be exported, eggs need to be chilled at a temperature below 7.2 degrees from 36 hours after being laid until their arrival at a U.S. destination, it said.
In 2017, 3,891 tons of raw eggs, or 0.15 percent of domestic production, were exported for a total value of ¥1 billion, with most of them destined for Hong Kong.