The government on Thursday declared domestic beef to be free of mad cow disease and at the same time began a nationwide screening of cows for any signs of the disorder.
Meat from any cow that might test positive will not be put on the market, according to government officials.
The declaration by Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tsutomu Takebe and Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi was apparently designed to alleviate the plight of the cattle and related food industries, which have suffered steep sales declines since the country's first case of the brain-wasting illness came to light last month.