Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshinobu Shimamura again prodded a government-appointed panel Friday to reach a speedy decision on the future of Japan's ban on U.S. beef imports.
He told a news conference that the Food Safety Commission should accelerate its discussions as the U.S. Congress may turn up the heat on Japan over the issue after it reconvenes in September.
Denying that he was pressurizing the panel, Shimamura said it would be "foolish" not to deal with the issue quickly.
Japan was the largest importer of U.S. beef before it imposed the ban in December 2003, when the United States confirmed its first case of mad cow disease. A second case was confirmed there last month.