U.S. to Urge Japan to Ease Beef Curbs Irrespective of TPP: USTR

Washington, March 9 (Jiji Press)--U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Wednesday that he will press Japan to ease its restrictions on U.S. beef imports regardless of whether Tokyo will join ongoing talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact.
"We are not going to wait" for Japan's decision to or not to take part in the TPP negotiations, Kirk said at a Senate Finance Committee meeting. Washington will try to win Japan's compliance with international beef trade guidelines, he said.
Kirk made the remarks as a bipartisan group of U.S. senators is demanding that Japan should ease its import curbs on U.S. beef as a condition for its participation in the TPP negotiations.
The Japanese government plans to decide in June whether to join the negotiations on the TPP, which was launched in 2006. Five countries, including the United States, are now talking with the pact's four founding members on its possible expansion.
Kirk complained that Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan are very slow in opening their beef markets, saying, "We are exceptionally frustrated" at the situation.
Japan now limits beef imports from the United States to meat taken from cows aged 20 months or younger on condition that risk parts associated with mad cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, are removed.