Japan unveils anti-BSE measures

So far only one BSE case has been confirmed in Japan

By BBC Tokyo correspondent Charles Scanlon

The Japanese Government has announced new measures to prevent the spread of mad cow disease as it tries to reassure consumers that all beef sold in the country is safe.

The Ministers of Agriculture and Health gave a news conference to announce new screening measures.

Beef sales have fallen dramatically in Japan since a case of mad cow disease was discovered last month - the first known example of BSE in Asia.

Restaurants across the country say demand for beef has collapsed. In a country where imported beef was often treated with suspicion, signs are now seen at restaurants stressing that only Australian or American beef is served.

The health and agriculture ministers held a joint news conference to insist that Japanese beef was safe.

Response criticised

They said a screening system was now in place to examine every cow processed for human consumption. Japan would have the safest meat in the world, said the agriculture minister, Tsutomu Takebe.

Health Minister Chikara Sakaguchi: "Low" possibility of vCJD in Tokyo patient

But the official response has been criticised, and there are reports of bureaucratic in-fighting between the two ministries.

Japanese officials had rejected the threat of mad cow disease earlier this year, despite warnings from the European Union.

A newspaper poll found that more than 80% of respondents were unhappy with the government's action.

The one confirmed case of BSE was detected in a dairy cow on a farm near Tokyo. The government initially claimed the animal was destroyed, but later admitted it had been used for animal feed.

A woman who is suspected of having the human form of the disease, variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD), has now been admitted to hospital in Tokyo.