Guest guest Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 > GM_LOBBY_RUNNING_SCARED_IN_JAPAN > " GM_WATCH " <info > Thu, 12 Aug 2004 09:46:50 +0100 > > GM WATCH daily > http://www.gmwatch.org > --- > FOCUS ON ASIA's RESISTANCE > http://www.gmwatch.org/p1temp.asp?pid=42 & page=1 > > Japan > 1.Background on GM in Japan > 2.GROUPS IN JAPAN > 3.Trend: Serious GM canola pollution in Kashima > port, Ibaraki Prefecture > 4.GM LOBBY RUNNING SCARED > --- > 1.Background: GM in Japan > > Since 1996 consumer resistance to GM has been > growing in Japan, where millions of signatures have > been gathered for petitions opposing GM food and > crops. Following successful citizens' actions to > halt GM rice trials, Japanese corporations have > abandoned domestic GM rice research. Japanese > resistance was also a critical element in Monsanto's > decision to abandon plans to commercialise GM wheat > worldwide. At the moment there is a focus on > volunteer GM oilseed rape which is springing up > around Japanese ports (see below). > --- > 2.GROUPS IN JAPAN > > GM Rice Watch > http://www.gmrwatch.org/e/ > > No! GMO Campaign > " From 21 to 28 March 2004, a group of six Japanese > consumer representatives, including representatives > from the No! GMO Campaign, visited Canada and the > USA to present a petition to opposing the GM wheat > to the Canadian federal government and a state > government of the USA (North Dakota). The petition > was signed by 414 organizations representing over > 1.2 million Japanese people. It is thought that this > visit and the submission of the petition had a very > strong effect on public and official thinking in the > two countries. > > Effectively this means that Japanese consumer > pressure has been successful in forcing Monsanto to > suspend development of both GM rice and GM wheat. > The company has tried to sell its GM crops to the > world using its financial and political power, but > it has now been shown that if Japanese consumers > form strong links with and fight alongside people > all over the world they will not be beaten. " > http://www.no-gmo.org/new/2004/510e.htm > > > Citizens' Biotech Information > Centre > http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cbic/english/index.html > --- > 3.From Bio Journal 2004 > http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cbic/english/2004/journal0408.html > > Trend: Serious GM canola pollution in Kashima port, > Ibaraki Prefecture > > Recent revelations show that imported GM canola > seeds have been spilled around Kashima port in > Ibaraki prefecture, and that the GM canola pollution > has been spreading. The Japan Wildlife Research > Centre and others have established 13 checking > points near busy crossroads within a 5 kilometre > radius of the port, at 3-5 points and at distances > 50 metres times the width of the sidewalk. The tests > were conducted for 2 years at a total of 48 > locations. > > According to the MAFF announcement on 29 June 2004, > a May 2002 investigation revealed that western oil > seed rape has been growing wild at 25 of 48 > locations. 15 cases out of 16 were confirmed to be > imported canola, the one exception not being > analysable. Moreover, 7 out of 20 seeds and 2 out of > 7 plants were shown to be GM varieties. > > According to an investigation in February, 2003, > western oil seed rape was confirmed at 23 out of 48 > locations (2 locations were different from the > previous year). There was possible GM canola > reseeding at 17 out of 23 confirmed locations. > Consequently, the investigation will continue due to > difficulties involved with identification. > > Currently, the Ministry of Environment is also > investigating the case. Presumably, the GM canola > pollution is spreading throughout the Kanto > district, and GM plants are possibly growing wild > around other unloading ports, such as Kobe port. > MAFF said that it was assumed that a situation like > this would occur, so it is not an issue. > --- > 4.RUNNING SCARED > > Negative Fallout From Public Sentiment In Japan > - Kazuo N. Watanabe et al., Nature Biotechnology 22, > 943 (2004) > http://www.nature.com > > To the editor: As concerned plant scientists at > major plant science research institutions in Japan, > we would like to express our collective concern over > the impact of Japanese public resistance to > plant genetic engineering on the actions of local > and national government. We are concerned that > negative public sentiment could translate into > government actions that will compromise overall > competitiveness and research and development > capability in the plant sciences.[there's so much > potential in plant sciences other than genetic > engineering that this is truly pathetic. in any > case, robust innovative technologies (like good > science) can only benefit from scepticism and > dissent] > > For example, at the prefecture level, the local > government in Hokkaido (a major region of > agriculture) is currently formulating a bill > scheduled for 2005 to ban planting genetically > modified (GM) crops approved by the national > Japanese authorities. The Tokyo metropolitan > government and local farmers have already stopped > the field assessment of a transgenic potato line at > an experimental field in Tanashi city, Tokyo, > apparently solely on the basis of negative > public perception. These actions appear to have > unsubstantiated fears that such planting might > affect the local agriculture economy1. We fear that > they bring Japanese plant science [it's come to > something when one narrow set of procedures, ie GE, > equate to the whole of plant sciene!] closer to a > critical situation in which research not only in the > field but also in the laboratory will be threatened. > At the national level, negative public sentiment may > also affect funding allocation by the Japanese > government in the plant sciences as a whole [try > offering the government more productive avenues of > research with a public mandate and a market!]. > > We urge Japanese political leaders not to abandon a > technology that is readily being adopted by > countries outside of Europe and could positively > contribute to economic growth in Japan [???]. > Politicians have a responsibility to respect and > honor the concerns of their electorate, but also > should respect scientific consensus that genetic > engineering is as safe as any other technology. > > 1. http://www.biotech-house.jp/news/news_84.html > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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