The agreement will increase trade between the two countries, with the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) estimating exports to double as a result.

At present, beef imports into Japan are restricted based on the discovery of three cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the US since December 2003. South Korea and China have similar restrictions in place also.

Japan allows import of cattle aged 20 months or younger provided that slaughterhouses remove organs and other specified risk materials (SRMs), which contain 99 per cent of the disease within infected cattle.

Jay Truitt, vice president of government affairs at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) said that Japan had agreed to consider revising their inspection system to meet standards that are more reasonable and science-based.

"This represents another long-awaited but positive step toward normalizing trade of U.S. beef with Japan," he said. "More importantly, this represents a significant technical step on the part of Japan to make its policies consistent with international guidelines, including those of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)."

Beef processors may witness further international export restrictions eased when the OIE votes on 20 May on whether to change the BSE risk status for US products to 'controlled risk'.

The controlled risk classification recognizes that OIE-recommended science-based safety measures are in place to manage the risk of BSE infection in cattle.

This status is considered favorable in the international community, and could provide the US with leverage to ease restrictions imposed on beef products from older cattle, as long as SRMs are removed.

Prior to December 2003, the Japanese beef export market was one of the US's largest, valued at about $1.4 billion a year, according to the USMEF.