Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Andrew Mitchell, made an October 12th courtesy call to LDP Secretary-General Takebe at the Diet. The minister has been visiting countries in Asia to seek understanding regarding the resumption of beef imports following the BSE issue. He pressed Secretary-General Takebe to resume imports at an early date. However, Secretary-General Takebe stated, "This will be difficult until we can perform tests for BSE on all cattle in Japan and demonstrate safety and reliability with assurance. This is not a political issue; a basis in science is also necessary." He sought understanding of our country's "confirmation of food safety".