The Japanese market is very lucrative for US beef exporters

From Thursday, US producers will again be able to export beef to their most important overseas market, following a six month suspension.

The move comes after Japanese experts carried out successful inspections of US meat processing plants.

Japan first banned imports of beef from the US in 2003 over fears of BSE, or "mad cow disease".

At that time, the Japanese beef market was worth $1.4bn (�758m) to the US.

Japanese standards

"Today's announcement by the government of Japan reopening beef trade with the United States helps resolve an issue that has been of primary importance to the United States government for many months," US ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer said in a statement.

Only facilities whose safeguards meet Japanese standards are authorised to resume exports to Japan.

The Japanese inspectors said they would keep a ban on imports from a beef plant in Brawley, California, which is now changing its operations manual.

"We expect the United States to act in line with the rule, and Japan will tighten checking of their compliance," Japanese Health Minister Jiro Kawasaki said.

He added he would suspend US beef imports again if Japanese inspectors find banned material in beef shipments after the resumption of imports.

"If a similar violation recurs, I will be asked to take responsibility for what I have decided today," he said.

Japan did initially lifted its block on US beef in December last year, but US imports only lasted a month before the ban was reintroduced after outlawed bone material was found in a batch of US veal from New York.