Japan Opens Trade

After 3 years Japan decides to re-open trade with the US on beef. In 2003 Japan stopped trade with the US because of reports of mad cow disease. Japan lifted the ban because our government allowed Japan officials to examine US packing plants. In 2003 alone Japan bought $1.4 billion worth of beef. It could be estimate that the US lost $4.2 billion in the past 3 years from not having Japan as a market. I wonder if the US will have the supply needed to ship to Japan. I would think that some of the smaller beef factories would have had to been shut down because our demand went down by so much. I believe that this is still a great benefit to the US.