Japan indicated yesterday that it would not rush to resume imports of US beef until assessing concerns about mad cow disease amid intense US pressure ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"We cannot say when at the moment" Japan will lift the ban, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, the government spokesman, told a news conference.
He emphasized that Japan had already accepted a key US demand by agreeing not to test every cow to be slaughtered.
The stumbling point is how to test the cows' ages, with Japan saying there is not enough evidence to go ahead with methodology proposed by the US.
"The US proposals came after we reached a scientific conclusion in Japan that cows younger than 20 months old can be exempted from all-out checks," Hosoda said.
Japan used to be the biggest foreign market for US beef but shut off the multibillion-dollar trade in December 2003 after a cow slaughtered in Washington state was found to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease, linked to a fatal brain condition in humans.
Members of the US Congress from farm states have called for trade sanctions against Japan unless it resumes buying US beef soon.
US President George W. Bush personally urged Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, one of his key international allies, to lift the ban in a telephone call last Wednesday, a message Rice is expected to emphasize in meetings in Tokyo on Saturday.
Yasufumi Tanahashi, the state minister overseeing food safety, said the government would "watch independent debate" at the experts' panel on beef, suggesting Tokyo would not put political pressure on it before Rice's visit.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist