Japan to ban raw beef liver The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will ban the sale of the dish at restaurants from July 1, after a virulent strain of E. coli bacteria - O-157 - was found in cow livers, according to Kyodo News. But fans of the popular energy booster that sells well at barbecue style restaurants serving braised beef, or Yakiniku, say the ban sticks in their throats. "I love that slimy feeling as it slides down," said Hiroaki Minami, who works in production at a Tokyo apparel maker. They can't just go around banning it. One view is that the ministry is using the findings to clamp down on food safety after five people, including a 6-year old boy, died in April and May, 2011, when restaurants failed to properly trim the surface of a Korean style steak tartar, known as Yukuhoe in Korea, and Yukke in Japan. Yukke is an acquired taste, and is often served with a raw egg and julienned cucumbers. Violators of the ban based on the Food Sanitation Act would face a maximum of two years in prison or a fine of up to 2 million yen (£16,174), a ministry panel announced.