Japan intensifies U.S. beef inspections after spinal columns found

Thursday 24th April, 01:04 PM JST

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Latest 15 of 32 Total Comments Show All

medievaltimes at 12:55 AM JST - 25th April

Let the consumer decide.
OssanULTRA at 01:21 AM JST - 25th April

"What's the only way Japan's domestic beef industry can compete against imports? Reduce the supply of foreign beef"

This commonly repeated statement is a total fallacy. Japanese domestic beef is in an entirely different price category and market, so reducing US imported beef does not effect it at all. The competitors on the Japanese market are US and Australian beef. I'm surprised Argentina hasn't taken advantage of our totally incompetant manner is which we've dealt with this issue.
VOR at 07:41 AM JST - 25th April

Are any of you familiar enough with the Japanese inspection system to say that inspections cannot be rigged?

When domestic beef sits next to imported beef on the supermarket shelves and the price of the domestic beef is two to three times more expensive, all things being equal, which one is the consumer going to reach for.

Plant some fear about the safety of the imported beef and now you got consumers making their selection on unwarranted fear.
Scrote at 09:02 AM JST - 25th April

You can't trust this foreign beef.

I'm sure that the checks on Japanese beef are 100% error-free, no mistakes are ever made and we can have complete confidence that the product on sale in the shops is perfectly safe.

I was born yesterday.
smithinjapan at 12:50 PM JST - 25th April

VOR: You're being foolish again.

"When domestic beef sits next to imported beef on the supermarket shelves and the price of the domestic beef is two to three times more expensive, all things being equal, which one is the consumer going to reach for."

Let's replace 'beef' with the general word 'goods', and the idea of the 'US' (beef) with the word 'China', and you've answered your own question. Despite one bulb of garlic grown in Japan costing nearly 300 yen, and the Chinese package of THREE bulbs for only 199 yen, I'm willing to bet you 80% of Japanese will reach for domestic; ahem... it's because of the bad rep. of Chinese goods. Likewise, with the extremely poor rep. of manufacturers of beef and the potential it could have to lead to disease (and all the media hype), you can bet a Japanese will still pay 3 times more for a few strips of sukiyaki beef.

You're just upset about the situation, but you'll calm down.

My favourite part about this whole thing is that it comes directly on the heels of the April 19th thread about the US pressing Japan to ease restrictions on beef imports!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....
spudman at 01:00 PM JST - 25th April

"You can't trust this foreign beef. I'm sure that the checks on Japanese beef are 100% error-free, no mistakes are ever made and we can have complete confidence that the product on sale in the shops is perfectly safe." more confidence than US beef. How come the Aussies can satisfy the consumer demands but US farmers in their arrogance can't?
VOR at 07:16 PM JST - 25th April

smithjapan: you are avoiding the premise of my argument for obvious reasons, you know as well as I do the Japanese are protectionists.

The source of the gyoza scare a few months ago remains a mystery. The majority of the speculation centered around disgruntled Chinese employees that was never proven. There remains a chance that the packages of gyoza were tampered with here in Japan by a Domestic producer losing market share to cheaper Chinese substitutes.

Japanese consumers are no different than any other consumer around the world. They purchase what the can afford. If there is a perception that the less expensive product is dangerous or low quality, they'll pay the higher price for the domestic product. The question you got to ask yourself is without the cloud of suspicion hanging over US beef, how well would Japanese beef be able to compete against the US product when the domestic stuff is three times the price.

There is no way of really knowing the origination of the spinal cord in this beef shipment. There is a 50/50 chance the US Meat Packers screwed up and there is a 50/50 chance of some funny business going on with the Japanese safety inspections.

If you take either position, it is based on speculation. I just find the timing of this very strange as the Japanese domestic beef market is facing hard times competing against the weak US dollar.
smithinjapan at 09:17 AM JST - 26th April

VOR: "you are avoiding the premise of my argument for obvious reasons, you know as well as I do the Japanese are protectionists."

I know they are protectionists for a LOT of things, but not on the beef market. As another poster pointed out below, Japanese beef is in a completely other bracket than US beef. If Japan was so protectionist, why import Aussie and/or Canadian beef? What about beef from other countries? They seem to have NO trouble whatsoever with the Aussies.

It's you, my friend, who are simply ignoring the argument; which is that US checking practices... or rather the lack thereof... are what's the cause of the ban.

Cell phones, cars, and other electronics, I agree with you 100% on the protectionist part.

"There is no way of really knowing the origination of the spinal cord in this beef shipment. There is a 50/50 chance the US Meat Packers screwed up and there is a 50/50 chance of some funny business going on with the Japanese safety inspections."

Give it a rest! You fully admit that the US COULD be fully responsible, and that's a start, but it's downright stupid and foolish to start saying, "Well (guffal), shucks and gee, maybe 'dem Japanese inspektahs put that spine in.... yeah! I ain't got a SHRED of proof or historical proof either to back up my point... but them Japanese are a sneaky lot!".

Please... you're just making yourself look foolish.
unscrejects at 02:19 PM JST - 27th April

In Japan they call it, "Compliance Customs Clearance". The local company is given a free hand to take its imports/exports through customs proceedures. The guys packing in the US are simply being given direct orders from the Japanese trading companies. In fact I would be very surprised to see an American inspector on Japan bound products since the customs clearance (shipping arrangement) is in the hands of Japanese sub-contractors. There may be excepts but... Some wise guy official probably went to the press when he was ignored wink, wink...
rtrhead1 at 04:18 PM JST - 28th April

By the way, it isn't that US beef has a deserved bad rap, it's that the media, in typical Xenophobic media fashion, has made US beef out to the boogeyman. Do you honestly believe, with the level of corruption of the Japanese food industry, i.e. purposely mislabelled food, that they are catching all of the instances of BSE in their cows? Furthermore, why haven't they done jack diddly about PREVENTING BSE? Stop the meat and bone meal. I would most definately trust Aussie or US beef over Japanese beef, however, I am not one of the many brainwashed sheep out there who actually believe the J-food inspectors who've been proven time and time again that they are liars and cheats.
Farmboy at 04:58 PM JST - 28th April

US Beef deserves exactly what they get if parts they agreed not to include in shipments are included. Japan WANTS to buy US beef, but insists on getting what they ordered. I agree with that idea. I can tell you from personal experience that there are a lot of US meat suppliers who say they'll ship you one thing, and then try to get by with shipping another, lower quality product. You have to check orders every time with some suppliers, though not with all suppliers.

What I'm most amazed by is that the US never sends the highest quality beef to Japan, only the lowest. Why? Someone thinks Japan wants cheap US beef, but never even tries to market the better quality stuff. The same thing happened when US apples were shipped to Japan for the first time. They sent tasteless, hard apples, not understanding that there is a great market for quality stuff in Japan. Someone needs to rethink all this, and try sending the best of what the country has to offer, not the worst.
unscrejects at 09:54 PM JST - 28th April

Farmboy

The Japanese trading companies are the buyers. They do the product selection. And the reason is that by bringing in lower gradebeef they don't have to pay tariffs. The profit for them is 100% higher than were they to ship the best. The apples? Did you get that from the US bashing press (which includes certain members of the US press corps)? The reason the apples were hard is because the Japanese customs people - working with the JA pest control inspectors - stuck the apples into weeks of quarantine under pretty cold conditions. Washington got a major snow job then...
Farmboy at 11:46 PM JST - 28th April

unscrejects,

You are correct about who the buyers are, and your information about the tariffs is interesting and plausible, but the point is that the beef supplier, reportedly "a National Beef plant in California" did not supply what was selected by the trading companies, which was clearly not yummy ol beef spine.
westurn at 12:22 AM JST - 29th April

"did not supply what was selected by the trading companies, which was clearly not yummy ol beef spine."

Since when do "trading companies" around the world speak for the local consumer ? Fact is, this consumer will take his chances ! Much like those that choose to smoke, buy alcohol, or purchase chemical laden Japanese bentos... there are risks a plenty out there, I'll take my chance with American beef and simply wish Japan's protectionist government would butt out !
rtrhead1 at 08:58 AM JST - 7th May

Farmboy, you are saying that the US doesn't send it's highest quality beef to Japan? Hello... anyone home? Have you seen the way Japan holds back it's best electronics for a couple of years, or forever before they send them to the US? Hi, my name is pot, you must be kettle.