Cuts of USDA prime dry-aged beef are seen in the dry-aging room in the lobby of Gallaghers steakhouse in the Manhattan borough of New York. Photo: REUTERS file
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Japan temporarily sets higher tariffs on U.S. beef imports

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56 Comments
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Looks like I will be smoking Aussie Beef, and NZ Beef for a while.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Wagyu is best.

U.S beef is chewy trash meat.

-35 ( +5 / -40 )

Suga trying to exert some leverage before his meeting with Biden. At the moment, the Biden Administration has more pressing issues to deal with than some "oyaji" trying to get cool points with the other "oyagis" and the public after a series of scandals and pandemic screw-ups back home!

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Hey Lieutenant Dan, if US beef is chewy trash meat, then why is Japan importing so much? Also, why is the US punished because the Aussie's can't export enough beef due to draught?

9 ( +15 / -6 )

I never buy American meat. Lack of trust in the quality.

-16 ( +8 / -24 )

I love American beef. And Australian beef. And European beef. And.... Its all so good. Funny how people get all nationalistic about their cows.

22 ( +25 / -3 )

@Michael Machida

It is not nationalism, as for me, as my country ‘s meat is not sold in Japan. But it is known or suspected that some countries use more hormones or antibiotics than others

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

I never buy American meat. Lack of trust in the quality.

How can people lacj trust or mis-trust what they never try or buy?

Each to their own. I think tjat American beef is of very good quality.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

U.S beef is chewy trash meat.

Japan only buys the cheap stuff so they can put huge profits margins on it...

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Nothing about nationlism all about taste..

Also the amount of hormone growth promoters and antibiotics in U.S beef and meat products is horrific!!

As for why we import so much U.S beef here well some people want cheap meat and the beef bowl restaurants use it etc for gyudon.

But for taste and quality you can't beat 'wagyu' but yeah the U.S produces cheap and often shady meat and has to cholorinate it's chicken because it is not fit for human consumption otherwise.

Even the U.K won't import U.S chicken and pork coz of safety concerns!!

Avoid U.S beef for your health.

-3 ( +7 / -10 )

U.S beef is chewy trash meat.

You are obviously unaware of the US tenderloin steak I enjoyed at during my birthday early this year at Red Lobster. Melted in my mouth, and without all the fat that cuts of Japanese beef feature.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Avoid U.S beef for your health.

OK, I’ll just give my 89 year old dad who’s only eaten US beef a ring and tell him to Avoid U.S beef for his health.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

US beef that enters Japan has to meet specific regulations but yes, know your product...

Japanese beef also has antibiotics and hormones. How else do you keep disease off an animal with so much fat and kept caged up. Plus the grain is very likely GMO....

6 ( +8 / -2 )

It would probably be illegal, animal abuse, to not give medicine, antibiotics, to a sick animal.

I believe it is actually illegal to sell beef that contains antibiotics. After a sick animal is humanly treated with antibiotics they do not go to market until all drugs have cleared the system.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Naw, US grass fed lean beef all the way, but for the life of me, I can’t understand why people want to eat white fatty marbled meat.

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

Chewing gum U.S meat is not for the discerning palate

-12 ( +1 / -13 )

Chewing gum U.S meat is not for the discerning palate

Then you got jibbed, probably wasn’t US beef or beef at all.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Suga, that annoying kid at recess.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Steak On A Plate - US Beef..all the way

Roast Beef - Scottish Beef (shame you can't find here, so grass fed Kiwi is what I use)

Shabu Shabu - Japanese Beef (rich enough to retain flavour when so thin)

Buy the best you can, that's my choices above for taste.

Aussie Beef - the tasteless way out.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

I grew up and worked on dairy and beef farms back in NZ when I was younger. Worked over here in Japan on a few dairy and beef farms while I was traveling. For those of you talking about hormones, antibiotics, animal conditions and all that, you don't have the foggiest idea what you're talking about. The animals here are kept in destitute conditions that would warrant intervention in NZ. I walked out of one of my jobs for ethical reasons. I just couldn't be a part of that.

Moving past that the rest is up to you. Anything more than a few mouthfuls of wagyu makes me feel sick. I personally like properly prepared lean grass fed beef.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Japan should get over with it’s high protectionist rules.

Not everyone is Suga or members of the LDP that can afford Kobe or Hida premium beef.

Also the meat that comes from America or abroad is quality checked.

Time to join 2021.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Far from a trade war as it's just mechanism based on mutual consent, triggered automatically. Besides the US benefits through the bilateral terms overrriding multiparty frameworks such as the CPTPP. Australia, one of TPP member states and big contenders seeks the Japanese beef market. Meanwhile I don't think that Japanese homegrown beef shares the Japanese consumer market with international imports.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

For the last 30 years, such step resulted here in buying more foreign meat. Why? You set higher tarrifs on foreign meat in order to sell/consume more domestic meat. Domestic producers, seeing that the tarrifs on foreign meats are high, raise their price, claiming that the labour in Japan is expensive and 美味しいもんだって. Higher end price for wagyu means, that common folks buy imported meat, this time from another country (remember chicken from Brazil). Domestic producers don't make such profit as they expected, so they raise the price even higher and putting a プレミアム stamp over it, hoping that the demand will increase. More imported meat is bought by common people. The government has few meetings, then they come with great news that the tax for imported meat from XYZ country will decrease next year. People are still buying imported meat, so domestic producers raise the prices even higher. I've seen this several times over the 30 years. Out of all domestic products, I can't think of anything that raised price so much like wagyu over the years.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

It is not nationalism, as for me, as my country ‘s meat is not sold in Japan. But it is known or suspected that some countries use more hormones or antibiotics than others

There are many types of beef from the US. You can buy "free range" beef, if you like. It costs more. There's a flavor difference that each animal gets and leaves behind as they rotate through the different pastures. Cows, pigs, chickens. all rotated.

Love some BBQ brisket - cooked 18 hrs. Nothing like it.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

As usual very stupid.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Gyudon say.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If Trump is in power today, Japan will get severely tariffed back.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Finding good beef in Japan is difficult.

I've never cared for the overly fatty beef prized in Japan or the cheap/affordable beef.

I may try to go hunting again since this article has made me hungry.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Japanese beef is fatty garbage from cows that spend their entire lives standing up to their knees in their own manure. I would rather have beef from free-ranging cattle who aren't insanely obese and full of fat.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Personally, I don't have much of a beef about this. Yes, higher tariffs on American beef. Yes, American beef is good, but there are alternatives. Nothing wrong with Aussie or NZ beef. They are definitely great for steak, beef stew, and roast beef. I like my beef lean with less fat, but that's a personal choice.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Japan only buys the cheap stuff so they can put huge profits margins on it...

exactly try taking away the 25% tariffs , then buy some Tasmanian Wagyu beef, its excellent and less than half the price of Japanese Wagyu, well actually less because youre actually buying beef and not fat.

just face it without tariffs J beef just isnt even on the same page as quality Aussie NZ US beef.

No the stuff that Japanese import is second tier beef, without tarriffs then top tier would flood into Japan

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Yes, surely possible and according to bilateral contracts, but who is now coming as the big helping hand if there’s a scenario demanding some military defense efforts? If needed most, maybe PACs and patriots are currently sold out or not at hand immediately, you know... No need to consider this time, but I wouldn’t recommend that tariff wars becoming a standard behavior....lol

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yesterday I bought 800 grams American Angus steak for ¥700.

Have you asked yourself why it was 700 yen?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

It's all just dead body parts.

Blechhh

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

It's all just dead body parts.

Yummy!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Consumers have a right to buy GMO fed, hormone drenched, antibiotic filled, animal abused bovine flesh and milk.

Free voice is the right of democracy.

Cutting forests down has no effect on the environment when compared to jobs created.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Consumers have a right to buy GMO fed, hormone drenched, antibiotic filled, animal abused bovine flesh and milk.

Free voice is the right of democracy.

The beautiful thing about democracy is, we have personal choices. I prefer to actually hunt for my meat, but if I can’t then buying grass fed is the next best thing. I might Japanese brother-in-law loves greasy oily and fatty meat, that’s not my choice and that’s one of the reasons why wouldn’t they decide to go to a Yakiniku restaurant buffet, I don’t go. Hate the fatty quality they serve.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

WTFJapan: then buy some Tasmanian Wagyu beef, its excellent and less than half the price of Japanese Wagyu

The marketing ploy driven debasement and corruption of “wagyu” continues apace. Most of the meat falsely labeled under that appellation has been cross bred with domestic stock and diluted, often heavily, to intentionally produce a result more in keeping with the traditional texture and taste of American beef (and to reduce costs).

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Meanwhile the meat that is 100% born, raised and packaged in Japan is the same price or higher. Go figure.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Make the poorer-everyday-Japanese pay more for their food!

Great move LDP!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Proxy

Antibiotics are given to animals that are not ill or sick widely.

Growth hormones are prohibited in most countries, but authorized and used quite massively in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, South Africa and Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Looks like Customs is trying to grab a few more $$ to help pay for the olympics LOL!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I just buy what's cheap or reduced. I stew it, cook it sous vide, or grill it properly, so it all tastes good. The last beef I bought was steak from Uruguay, the first time I'd seen it in Japan.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@dan

Wagyu is best.

*U.S beef is chewy trash meat. *YOUR TASTE BUDS MUST BE OUT OF WHACK, CRACK WILL DO THAT!!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

FYI, to above, margarine is a steroid.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@kaimycahl.

Waygu beef is basically "FAT" that melts. The only place Waygu beef is popular is...Japan! I have smoked Beef from Japan, US, NZ, and AUS..Smoked Waygu beef is trash..Most americans/Aussie/Nzealanders prefer a thick cut of beef that we chew. Meat was made to be chewed like a Caveman, not melt in your mouth like a 98 year old needs to eat meat...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@viking.

I have bought alot if meat from Themeatguy..google, buy, and thank me later.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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