May 25, 2007
GM crops draw disputes in Japan on safety concerns
Though Japan's agriculture ministry has fully supported the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops, concerns on its safety has prompted consumers to shun from it, giving the government a hard time to fully approve of its use.
The ministry hopes to eventually gain the public's trust in using GM crops for human consumption by promoting it instead for biofuel use.
Japanese universities and research institutes have started growing GM crops outdoors on an experimental basis from the late 1990s. Most of these projects are still in the research and development stage.
There are presently 11 GM crops in Japan approved under a national law based on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The crops, including rice plants, soybeans and corn, are mainly intended for human food and animal feed.
But none of the crops grown for human consumption has been commercialized as commercial farming has not also been established even for inedible GM plants.
The strong safety concerns among the nation's consumers had also made it difficult for the government to approve GM crops for practical use.
Meanwhile, GM rice which has been found to relieve hay fever symptoms, is handled as a medical product by the Japanese and must go through strict animal experiments before it can be commercialised.
This prompted the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to create a study team to consider commercialisation of GM fields for purposes other than human consumption.
The study team, comprising specialists and executives of consumer and producer groups, will draw up a medium-term strategy and a scheduled program for research, development and commercialization of GM crops wherein its proposals are expected to be materialised in five to ten years.
Crops under the plan include GM rice plants, which can yield more grain than regular rice plants for use as biofuel.
Other GM plants that can suck up underground toxic substances, such as heavy metals, will also be considered.
