A research panel with Japan's food safety commission said Thursday that safety will be assured even after the removal of import restrictions on U.S. beef that were imposed to counter mad cow disease.
Findings will be reported to health minister Takumi Nemoto after a month of eliciting public comments, setting the stage for the government to eliminate the current restrictions that only allow imports of U.S. beef from cattle aged 30 months or younger.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry also plans to hold talks with the United States on the details, such as how meat should be processed, before officially deciding to remove the import restrictions, officials said.