February 10, 2004 Agence France Presse

"Although the investigation is declared over, I think it is still incomplete," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told a regular press briefing.

"It does not guarantee that there has been no other cow infected with BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy)," the top government spokesman added.

Japan was among the first of more than 30 nations to ban imports from the United States after the discovery.

US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick is expected to raise the issue in talks here this week.

Fukuda was commenting on an announcement by the US Department of Agriculture on Monday that the investigation into the case discovered in Washington state in December was "now complete."

The BSE-infected cow was brought to the United States in September 2001 from a farm in Alberta, Canada, along with 80 other cattle, according to US officials.

But Fukuda pointed out that only 28 of the 80 cows had been located.

"Under such a situation, Japan shall not be asked to draw a conclusion on the matter," he said. "We will see what step the US government will take in this regard."

The Japanese government has argued that before lifting its ban Washington will have to screen every slaughtered cow for BSE and remove all "risk materials" such as the brain, spinal cord and eyes.

Japan imported 333,272 tonnes of US beef and beef products in 2002, accounting for roughly one-third of the Japanese beef market, according to Japanese official data.