Japan resumes US beef exports after two-year halt

Japan said Friday it has resumed beef exports to the United States after shipments were suspended two years ago following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Japanese cows. Japan's southern Miyazaki prefecture, an agricultural hub known for livestock farming, was hit hard by the outbreak several years ago that forced the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of farm animals to stop its spread.
The agriculture ministry said the resumption followed a green light from Washington after concerns were allayed about the disease and the chances of radioactive contamination in US-bound shipments from last year's atomic crisis. Japan exported about 81 tons of beef worth 210 million yen ($2.7 million) to the United States in the year to March 2010, including prized Wagyu beef, according to official data.