Japan moving toward lifting prosciutto ban - NHKニュース

Japan is set to open talks with Italy to lift a ban on imports of prosciutto. The door was shut on Italy's famed delicacy in 2022 after an outbreak of African Swine Fever, or ASF.

A panel at the agriculture ministry evaluated the risks of resuming imports. The experts' report on Thursday says curing the meat for 400 days or more makes the risk of a virus entering the country extremely low.

The report cites an experiment that tested cured ham made from pigs infected with ASF and other viruses. It says 399 days after processing, no active viruses were detected.

The report also says that the United States, Canada and Australia have been importing prosciutto on condition the meat is cured for at least 400 days. There have been no reports of ASF or other viruses in these countries.