BIC Established in Japan

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) network of  Biotechnology Information Centers(BICs) has again added another feather to its cap by the addition of a biotech information group from Japan. In collaboration with the president of the Hokkaido Bio-industry Association (HOBIA), Professor Dr. Fusao Tomita, the Nippon Biotechnology Information Center (NPBIC) was established late April 2008. 

 Japan is currently reviewing its technology enabling policies and procedures to take full advantage of the benefits of biotechnology while providing for its safe use in accordance with its national development goals and international obligations. Information on the global adoption rates, socio-economic and environmental impacts of biotech crops, and experiences of other countries produced and documented by ISAAA could be of immense value if translated into Japanese and made available for distribution within Japan. On the other hand, the outside world can also benefit from knowing about the biotech activities and developments in Japan.

The knowledge sharing collaboration involves the monthly translation of the Crop Biotech Update (CBU) into Japanese, the contribution of Japanese crop-biotechnology related articles to the CBU, and the submission of a mailing list to ISAAA.  The first Japanese translated CBU can be viewed at the ISAAA/ KC website at http://www.isaaa.org/kc .