Japan may relax rules on US beef imports in February

Japan may, as of next month, allow imports of US beef from cattle up to 30 months old, relaxing the restrictions established since 2005 on what was already the largest market for US exports.

After fears about BSE have abated, the measure, which has been looked into by Tokyo since 2011 because of pressure from Washington, would allow US exporters such as Cargill Inc. and JBS USA Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Brazil's JBS, to regain market share that has been lost in the world's second-largest imported beef market.