Fumi Kobayashi

,There is a lot of interest in Japan where this election observation is seen as a kind of satire,, said Fumi Kobayashi, the New York-based correspondent for NTV. ,So strange to imagine Europeans coming to monitor elections in the U.S., don,t you think?,

"There is a lot of interest in Japan where this election observation is seen as a kind of satire," said Fumi Kobayashi, the New York-based correspondent for NTV.

While attending the BSE Symposium, I had the opportunity to lunch with correspondent Fumi Kobayashi of Tokyo-based Nippon TV, known as "The "NBC of Japan."I chatted with her and her crew about their take on the sessions.

"My impression is that the U.S. beef industry is very much controlled by four or five big packers and it's all about money and connections to the central government - power and money," Kobayashi said."I think most big industries are like that but especially this beef industry, which doesn't open up a lot of information to other countries."

She termed USDA as "the most difficult people we've ever encountered.