How the Japan Crop Protection Association (“JCPA”) helps realize more productive
agriculture and sustainable food systems
Introduction
Japan is located in the warm and humid Asian monsoon region. While its climate
conditions make it possible to cultivate a variety of crops, those conditions are also
suitable for the outbreak of insects, diseases, and weeds. Thus, the question of how
to protect crops from such plant pests is a major issue for stable food production.
This is an introduction to how Japan’s crop protection industry plays a key role inrealizing productive agriculture and sustainable food systems.
1. The situation surrounding food production
20 to 40 percent of the edible crops in the world are lost through damage from plantpests, and hundreds of millions of the global population are suffering from theshortage of an adequate supply of food. Therefore, the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (“FAO”) has stated the importance of developing
political measures and starting to act on protecting crops from plant pests.
Heading: FAO “The International Year of Plant Health”
In recent years, cross-border plant pests have been rampant in the world, withreports of desert locusts in East Africa, fall armyworms from Africa through Asia,and brown planthoppers in Japan. In addition, the pandemic of Covid-19, along withexisting crises such as climate change, floods, droughts, and plant pest outbreaks,
has posed complex threats, including strained food systems and global foodinsecurity. FAO has called for taking measures responding to those concerns.
Heading: FAO COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme
JCPA has set up a vision activity called “JCPA VISION 2025”, which is designed toguide its contribution to agriculture. The policies of this activity are associated withthe SDGs adopted by the United Nations. The association supports the sustainablesupply of food through promoting the role of crop protection and makes efforts toraise public awareness of the importance of crop protection products (CPPs).
Heading: JCPA Vision
2. Agricultural policies in EU and the United States of America
The governments of Europe and the United States have announced their agricultural
policies that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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In February 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the “Agriculture
Innovation Agenda”, in which agricultural innovation is listed as a key tool thathelps farmers and consumers solve environmental issues. The U.S. government aims
at building up a comprehensive innovation strategy in the agricultural field,
including reinforcing the environment of research on agricultural productivity.
Heading: USDA " Agriculture Innovation Agenda "The European Commission announced its “Farm to Fork Strategy” in May 2020. The
EU strategy covers the entire agricultural and food chain from producers toconsumers, and it is directly and indirectly related to the field of crop protection. Thestrategy includes food security, an outlook on the environment, climate change, andthe recovery of bio-diversity. Specific goals are stated for the part of crop protection,such as the reduction of chemical CPPs and expansion of organic farming.
Heading: European Commission “The Farm to Fork Strategy”
In November 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report in which
they had simulated the consequences that could result from the implementation of
the specified goals in the EU “Farm to Fork Strategy”, including the reduction ofchemical CPPs and fertilizers. The report states that the EU strategy could lead toa decrease of agricultural production, higher consumer prices, reduction of the worldGDP, and consequently, further global food insecurity.
Heading: USDA report
JCPA believes it is important to create innovations and promote technologies in thefield of agricultural production. You can visit our website to see the technologicalinnovations that are developed and promoted on a global basis for higher productionof agricultural food.
Heading: Innovation in Crop Protection Products (videos)
3. Efforts the crop protection industry makes
CPPs must be safe enough for users and consumers. They also must exert no morethan the minimal impact on the environment. In addition, they have to havesufficient efficacy against the target pests and be easy-to-handle and cost-effective
for farmers. JCPA member companies make every effort to meet those conditions byusing a wide range of sciences.
The average application dose of the CPPs (active ingredients) that were developedin the 1960s was in the range of several kilograms/ha worldwide. This has
dramatically declined to the range of several dozens of grams/ha for CPPs developed2in recent years. Looking at Japan’s domestic market, advanced spray technology andthe development of more effective CPPs have led to the reduction of CPP applicationby half over the past 30 years. JCPA foresees this trend to continue over the comingyears.
CPPs applied in Japan have been replaced with those containing less human toxicity
and environmental burden. In the 1950s and 1960s, Japan had many CPPs that wereclassified as poisonous or deleterious substances. However, recently, CPPs that are
not classified as such toxic substances account for slightly less than approximately90% of the total CPPs used.
CPPs also contribute to lowering labor costs through reducing farmer working hours
and shoring up shortages in the labor force, as we can see in the examples of weedingin rice paddy fields and thinning-out in apple cultivation.
JCPA member companies keep making efforts to create safer and more effectiveCPPs.
Heading: Crop Protection Market and Innovation
Heading: Innovation in Crop Protection Technology
4. Integrated Pest Management (“IPM”)
There are various measures to protect crops from plant pests and weeds – control bychemical CPPs, by biologicals such as natural enemies, by using pest resistantvarieties of crops, with advanced cultivation technologies, using physical protection
with insect nets, and using sterilization by exposure to sunlight. It is important tochoose one or more options that can be considered to be the most suitable for thecultivation conditions and for the outbreak of plant pests at the time of application.
Chemical CPPs are a very important tool, but they are only one option among otheroptions.
JCPA advocates IPM – integrated pest management – in which all possible measuresfor plant pest control are combined into one. The association aims to provide
information on IPM to farmers and help its member companies develop programs onIPM. JCPA also considers the importance of ICM – integrated crop management – amore advanced idea which includes water and soil control along with IPM.
There are always concerns about the development of CPP resistance in plant pests.
JCPA takes promotional activities for preventing resistance development by using aleaflet – “Do you know the RAC code?” – in which farmers can learn about crop
protection using a rotation of CPPs with different modes of actions. The association
also has prepared a guideline on the RAC code numbers, so its member companies

3can use those defined code numbers for their product labels. That contributes tokeeping the efficacy of CPPs stable and reducing excessive use.
Heading: Do you know the RAC code?
5. Organic farming
The market of organic products (including foods and textiles) is growing in Europe
and the United States. In Japan, organic farming accounts for just 0.5% of the total
agricultural land, but it is seen as a future growing segment.
Japan belongs to the warm and humid Asian monsoon region, and plant pests andweeds have been ever challenging in agricultural production. In recent years, crossborder pests such as fall armyworms and brown planthoppers have been on the rise.
However, the impact of those pests has been limited due to the contribution ofCPPs. They are used as a major part of plant pest control in 99.5% of the total
agricultural land. Japan’s Sustainable Food Systems Strategy – “Measures forachievement of Decarbonization and Resilience with Innovation (MeaDRI)” states inits key performance index that organic farming will increase to 25% of the total
agricultural land by 2050. That means the country needs additional technologies
that help protect such organic farms from plant pest pressures and maintain theproductivity of Japan’s agriculture.
Heading: MAFF “Measures against brown planthoppers in the production of paddy
rice produced in 2021”
Heading: MAFF “Information on the Fall Armyworm”
Fusarium head blight in wheat causes mycotoxicosis in human beings. Chemical
CPPs control Fusarium head blight and prevent the contamination of mycotoxin into
wheat flour. Mycotoxicosis is one of the issues that organic farming must addressfrom a food safety standpoint.
Heading: MAFF “Information about mycotoxins in food”
Organic farmers have only a limited number of chemical CPPs hat they can use for
their products, so the farmers need technology innovations such as biologicals andpest/weed-resistant crops. Many JCPA member companies are dealing with thedevelopment of biologicals. A larger number of biologicals is foreseeable in themarket as science progresses.
Conclusion
In Japan, the assessment of CPP registration is strictly conducted by the government
under the Agricultural Chemicals Regulation Act. The government assesses the4

dietary risk and the environmental risk of individual CPPs and secures the safety ofhumans and the environment based on the labeled use guidelines. CPP require
numerous tests in the course from their discovery up through launching into themarket. JCPA member companies comply with the test guidelines authorized byOECD and other international institutes for their safety evaluations, and supply safeand effective CPPs to the world.
Heading: CPP safety assessment in Japan
In 2020, the revised Agricultural Chemicals Regulation Act implemented newmethods of risk assessment for worker exposure and honeybees. Also in 2021, thegovernment launched a re-assessment system for CPP registration based on thelatest scientific insights. JCPA continuously ensures the affordable supply of safeand effective CPPs. JCPA will also make every effort to create innovativetechnologies for more productive and sustainable agriculture in Japan – and theworld.

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