Japan is set to resume from Friday beef exports to the United States suspended since April 2010 after foot-and-mouth disease was found in Japanese cows, a farm ministry official said, paving the way for wagyu beef to reach U.S. gourmets.
Washington has given the green light for Japanese cattle slaughtered on Aug. 18 or later to enter the world's biggest market, after a review of Japan's food safety measures allayed its worries about the chance of radioactive contamination.
Earlier this week, a Japanese farm official had signalled the export schedule might be disrupted after Washington asked for details of Tokyo's food safety measures.
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture made a review of our radiation safety measures and gave a nod to it, so the timing to slaughter for exports remains unchanged," the official said.
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