Japan is considering partially lifting an import ban on chicken meat from Russia, with the two countries' leaders expected to discuss the matter on the sidelines of this week's Group of 20 summit in Osaka, government sources said Monday.
Since 2005, Japan has banned imports of raw chicken meat from Russia due to concerns about bird flu. According to the sources, Tokyo would lift the ban only for certain parts of Russia proven to have a low risk of exporting meat carrying the disease.
In May, Japan's agriculture ministry asked an expert panel to discuss whether Tokyo should lift the ban, which would likely take effect in 2020 at the earliest.