GM Crops are Essential Innovation in Japanese Agriculture, says JBA President

In his inaugural address as the new president of the Japan Bio-industry Association, Dr. Michio Ohishi conveyed that genetically modified (GM) crops are essential to improve and advance Japanese agriculture. His speech published in the journal Bioscience and Industry emphasized that the country having very little natural resources would not be able to cope with the challenges of food insecurity and climate change if biotechnology will not be adopted.
 
He further added that the country has excellent expertise in science-based crop breeding technologies including the modern biotechnology tools which can counter the non science-based groups that are against the commercial planting of GMOs. Dr. Ohishi called for the Japanese people to understand the reality in Japanese agriculture and the current huge importation of biotech crops. He said that Japan is currently left out in agricultural technologies in the Asian region with countries like China, the Philippines, and India already planting biotech crops and reaping its benefits. The current attitude of the Japanese government against biotech crops if not changed could lead to fatal destruction of its agriculture, he emphasized.
 
For more on the news, see the original Japanese news at Bioscience and Industry, vol. 69 (no.4), page 266-267, 2011 at http://www.jba.or.jp/english/index.html

For more information on biotechnology in Japan, contact Prof. Fusao Tomita of Nippon BIC at YRL05042@nifty.com