Japan may reconsider its suspension of US beef imports that has been in effect since December following the discovery of a case of mad cow disease, Agriculture Minister Yoshiyuki Kamei said on Sunday.
The news comes the same day Japan suspended imports of US poultry products following the reported discovery of a case of bird flu - the epidemic sweeping Asia - at a poultry farm in the US state of Delaware.
Washington has been pressing Japan to resume beef imports, but Tokyo is calling for the introduction of tougher safeguards to match those in Japan, where all cattle are tested for the illness.
Asked on a Japanese television programme about reports of a compromise, Kamei said he was not aware of the reports but that the most important thing was for Japanese consumers to be able to eat beef with confidence.
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