Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius plans to use a nine-day trade mission to Japan to lobby for the reopening of that market to U.S. beef, her spokeswoman said.

Sebelius, who is scheduled to leave Thursday, will head a delegation that includes 15 state officials.

The governor plans to attend the annual conference of the Midwest U.S.-Japan Assn. in Tokyo, but her itinerary also includes meetings with representatives of Japanese retailers.

“She’s going to lobby to open up the beef market,” said Nicole Corcoran, Sebelius spokeswoman.

Japan and other nations have banned American beef since December, with the discovery of mad cow disease in a single cow in Washington state. However, a food safety panel in Japan recently said mad cow tests on animals under 20 months old could be ended without raising the risk of humans contracting a related rare but fatal disease.

Sebelius hopes to persuade Japanese business officials to lobby their government to lift the ban, said John Watson from the state Department of Commerce.

Japan was the state’s second-largest trading partner in 2003, importing $800 million worth of products, Watson said.