Officials said the agriculture ministry's quarantine offices had stopped issuing import certificates for U.S. beef products.

The discovery of mad cow disease in the United States sent a shock wave through the Japanese food industry, which relies on the United States for about 50 percent of its beef imports, prompting buyers to scramble for alternative supply sources, industry sources said.

The government said in a statement that it had taken the measure to prevent the disease from spreading into Japan, where beef demand has gradually been recovering since September 2001, when Japan discovered its first mad cow case.

The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 3, 2004
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