Now Japan wants to defend its staple crop by placing it at the forefront of a technological revolution. One aim is to defend Japan's staple from transnational corporate alliances which are using biotechnology in their race for control over Asia's rice market, they said. The move could spark heated debate, since growing numbers of Japanese fear the new technology may be harmful. He said delay could spell disaster for Japan's farmers. Otherwise, domestic farming could be totally controlled by foreign biotechnology giants,'' he said.
Promoters say the new technology helps lift yields and lower production costs.
Critics say not enough is known about the new crops' long-term effects on human health and the environment. A consumer survey last November showed 83 percent of the 600 respondents unwilling to buy GM foods. Last month more than 130 countries tackled such concerns by reaching a landmark U.N.-sponsored agreement to regulate trade in GM organisms, establishing an international framework for countries to use when making decisions about GM crops. The Agriculture Ministry's new rice variety resists the rice stripe virus which severely cuts into yields and is transmitted to the plants by insects. The Agriculture Ministry plans to apply this year for Health Ministry approval for the new GM rice variety, a process that usually takes six to 12 months.