While it is legal to plant GMO crops in Japan, there are no commercial plantings of GMO crops. This is due in part to strong skepticism from consumers about the safety of GMOs, and to local ordinances restricting commercial plantings. Modern biotechnology in Japan is regulated by Statutes of the Ministry of the Environment; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. While these layers of statutory requirements suggest Japan takes a “precautionary” stance to modern biotechnology, the number of approved biotech crop events is the largest in the world, and Japan is the world’s greatest importer of GMO soybeans and corn (ISAAA 2017). This dual structure may have some influence on the ways in which a particular sociotechnical imaginary is constructed by both proponents and opponents of gene edited technologies.
In 2018, the Japanese government determined that gene editing techniques that do not leave transgenes, such as SND-1, will not be subjected to regulation. This decision could be a source of social conflict, leading to a similar sociotechnical and political trajectory as GMOs. In recent months, public engagement efforts focused on gene editing technologies have begun to appear, including the Forum on Future Food— organized by scientists— and the NonGM Seed Forum— organized by citizens’ groups. The key sociotechnical imaginary advanced by proponents of GEAF is that gene edited crops and foods are ‘natural’ and that the public should not be concerned about food safety.
In 2018, the Japanese government determined that gene editing techniques that do not leave transgenes, such as SND-1, will not be subjected to regulation. This decision could be a source of social conflict, leading to a similar sociotechnical and political trajectory as GMOs. In recent months, public engagement efforts focused on gene editing technologies have begun to appear, including the Forum on Future Food— organized by scientists— and the NonGM Seed Forum— organized by citizens’ groups. The key sociotechnical imaginary advanced by proponents of GEAF is that gene edited crops and foods are ‘natural’ and that the public should not be concerned about food safety.