Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2017 June 28 - July 4 [ECONOMY]

Farmers and consumers agree to inaugurate movement to protect Japan’s seeds

With the Abe administration forcibly abolishing the law to supply the seeds for Japan’s main crops such as rice, wheat, and soy at a reasonable price, cooperatives of farmers and consumers together with scholars on July 3 set up an organization with the aim of creating new legislation to protect crop seeds.

An inaugural meeting that took place with 200 people participating adopted the group’s charter. The group pointed out that the abolition of the Main Crop Seeds Act will lead to increasing prices of seeds of rice and other crops and causing difficulties in preserving seeds of specialty crops in each region. It also stated that it is likely that the number of rice varieties will drastically decrease from the current 300.

The group also noted that due to the abolition of the law, GMO multinationals like Monsanto which monopolize the global seed market will bring about a negative impact on the domestic seed market in the future, which will lead to endangering Japan’s food safety and sovereignty.

In the inaugural rally, the participants agreed to conduct various actions, including study meetings and a signature-collection drive, in order to push the government to implement new measures allowing for farmers’ access to affordable seeds.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kami Tomoko and a Democratic Party lawmaker delivered speeches in solidarity.

Past related article:
> Abe gov’t moves to put Japan’s seed production into hands of multinational agribusinesses [ April 11, 2017]