Japan says no impact on TPP talks from mad cow case
TOKYO (Reuters) – The United States’ first reported mad cow disease case in six years will not affect negotiations about Japan’s possible membership in a U.S.-led Pacific trade pact, the government said on Wednesday. For Washington, Japan’s curbs on beef imports from countries hit by the disease are one the sticking points and U.S. exporters have been counting on Tokyo to relax the curbs following a review initiated in December. The curbs, which in 2005 replaced a total ban put in place after the first mad cow case in 2003, have capped U.S. …