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Kyodo news summary -4-+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, Jan. 21_(Kyodo) _ ---------- Japan's ban on U.S. beef likely to last some time TOKYO - Foreign Minister Taro Aso indicated Saturday a reinstated ban on U.S. beef may remain in place for a long time, saying Japan will talk about lifting the ban only after the United States establishes a proper system of controlling beef safety. "There will not be any talk of resuming imports, before hearing how the United States will cope with the matter," Aso said. ---------- Chilean court to open hearing on Fujimori later this month SANTIAGO - The Chilean supreme court will open a hearing on former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori as early as the end of this month in a process to examine Peru's request to extradite him, judicial sources said Saturday. The questioning will start after the judge charged with the case finishes reading the more than 10,000-page document submitted by the Peruvian government on the extradition, said the sources. In Peru the former leader faces a number of criminal charges, including murder. ---------- U.S. delegation to arrive in Japan on Monday over beef trade TOKYO - A U.S. agriculture delegation will arrive in Japan on Monday to explain steps the United States is taking to ensure the safety of beef exports to Japan, the U.S. Embassy said Saturday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture delegation is being sent at the request of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to "assure the Japanese government and public that the U.S. is taking every necessary step to ensure compliance with the requirements for exporting beef to Japan," the embassy said in a statement. ---------- Snow falls on Tokyo for first time this season, 21 people injured TOKYO - Snow has been falling in Tokyo and extensive areas across eastern Japan on Saturday for the first time this season, disrupting air and train services and injuring at least 21 people, authorities said. Downtown Tokyo had 6 centimeters of snow as of noon; Yokohama 9 cm; Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, 8 cm; and Chiba city 3 cm. The figures mark the heaviest snow fall in the Tokyo metropolitan area since 2001. |