Japan's ruling LDP okays US beef import restart

TOKYO, June 20 (Reuters) Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party today approved an agriculture ministry plan for the resumption of US beef imports after inspections of US processing plants are completed, a ministry official said. US beef has been shut out of Japan, previously the top export market, since January when Tokyo reimposed a ban on imports of the meat following a violation in safety guidelines agreed between the two countries.

The move came just a month after Tokyo lifted a two-year ban on American beef first imposed in December 2003 after the United States discovered its first case of mad cow disease.

Beef has been a thorny issue in relations between Japan and its closest ally.

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