Asahi and Yomiuri wrote on Saturday that according to Finance Ministry statistics released on Friday, American beef imports in January soared 22% from a year ago to 3,881 tons. On the other hand, corresponding imports from Australia and other TPP nations plunged by 24% to 7,899 tons. The dailies attributed the surge in U.S. beef imports to a reduction in the Japanese tariff on U.S. beef from 38.5% to 26.6% as a result of the effectuation of the U.S.-Japan trade accord on Jan. 1.