U.S. President George W. Bush asked Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday to lift the Japanese ban on U.S. beef imports, the White House said. The beef issue was one of several topics discussed during the 15-minute phone call, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters traveling with Bush to Ohio. "It's an important issue. Obviously we would like to see the market opened up. It's something we're continuing to discuss with the Japanese government," McClellan said. He said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would raise the issue again with Japanese officials when she travels to the region. Asked whether Bush made any headway with Koizumi, McClellan said, "They had a good discussion." Japan cut off U.S. beef shipments worth $1.4 billion annually when the United States found its first case of mad cow disease in December 2003. Bush and Koizumi also discussed North Korea, the Middle East peace process and Iraq, McClellan said.
