China Clears Path for Resumption of Japanese Beef Imports

Hiroshi Moriyama, an executive of Japan's ruling party, announced on Friday that China has finalized the necessary procedures to allow the resumption of Japanese beef imports. This follows a bilateral agreement between the two countries.

The secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party shared this information during a lecture held in Osaka. Earlier in the day, Moriyama had met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who was in Japan for China's "national day" event at the Osaka Expo. Moriyama also leads a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers dedicated to fostering friendship between Japan and China.

The ban on Japanese beef imports was imposed by China in 2001 due to an outbreak of mad cow disease, scientifically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Although the animal health and quarantine agreement was signed by both governments in 2019, the implementation procedures on the Chinese side had been delayed.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had previously requested Chinese President Xi Jinping to lift the ban during a meeting in Peru last November. Furthermore, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, discussed the agreement's implementation during their meeting in Malaysia on Thursday.