Consumers Union of Japan – Sound and Healthy Future for Our Children

Update: GMO/Genome-editing in Japan

GMO Update Report from Japan

10 January 2026

Consumers Union of Japan

1) Campaign to get 12 supermarket chains to not sell genome-edited tomatoes

In December 2020, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare accepted a notification concerning the sale of high-GABA tomatoes (Sanatech Seed’s “Sicilian Rouge High GABA”), which is Japan’s first genome-edited food product.

We, as consumers, are concerned about the market circulation of this genetically manipulated genome-edited food. This is because the government made the notification of genome-edited organisms voluntary, failed to assess environmental impacts or food safety, and did not mandate labelling.

As there is currently no labelling requirement, we consumers cannot distinguish whether a product is genome-edited or not. If this situation continues, we must feel uneasy about all tomatoes and tomato products. Furthermore, selling products without labelling them as genome-edited foods infringes upon consumers’ rights to know and choose. Therefore, we request that retail companies refrain from selling genome-edited crops and inquire about their sales policies.

*Photo: 3 December 2025: Label It! Genome-Edited Foods – Let’s Make Our Voices Heard from Local Communities to the Nation*

2) Food labelling campaign

We held a rally and meeting on 3 December 2025 requesting mandatory labelling of genome-edited foods: ‘Label It! Genome-Edited Foods – Let’s Make Our Voices Heard from Local Communities to the Nation’ Citizens’ Assembly. It was held in-person at the Japanese Parliament in Tokyo and online. Speakers included councillors from local governments that have adopted statements calling for genome-editing labelling in many cities around Japan.

Ten Genome-edited foods are now approved and becoming available for sale one after another. Processed foods (tomato purée and dried tomatoes) are also being sold. Fish varieties including pufferfish, sea bream, flounder, and tilapia are being sold or are approved for sale, alongside imported crops such as maize and potatoes.

When genetically modified foods first appeared in 1996, there was also no labelling. Consequently, consumers across Japan lobbied their local prefectural and municipal assemblies, compelling them to pass resolutions demanding labelling from the national government. Many local authorities adopted ‘Opinion Papers Demanding Labelling of Genetically Modified Foods’ and submitted them to the government and Parliament. This pressure moved the government, leading to the establishment of the current mandatory GM food labelling system. Though each of us individually may be small, by pooling our strength we can move the nation.

Update: Local councils are increasingly adopting opnion statements calling for the labeling of genome-edited foods. On 16 December 2025, the municipal assembly of Fuchu City, Tokyo; on 17/12, Ishikari Town, Hokkaido; on 18/12, Shiraoka City, Saitama Pref.; on 22/12, Koshimizu City, Hokkaido; on 24/12, Kawagoe City, Saitama Pref. and Aomori City, Aomori Pref. adopted such opinion statements. A total of six prefectural assemblies, including Aichi Pref., and 27 municipal assemblies, including Sapporo City, Hokkaido, have adopted similar opinion statements.

Source (English): https://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cbic/english/2026/journal2601.html

3) Survey on awareness of genome-editing

The Biotech Information Promotion Committee conducted a survey in October 2025 with the aim of understanding consumer awareness of Genetically modified foods and raising awareness of its acceptance. In addition, they investigated the awareness of genome-edited crops and fish, which began distribution in 2021.

Survey method: Internet survey (quantitative survey)
・Target: 2,000 men and women in their 20s to 50s nationwide (each gender and age × 250 samples)
・Research period: Late October, 2025

Regarding genome-edited foods, 58.2% of the total respondents said they did not know at all, and only 9.1% of those who understood the contents were. The majority of respondents in their 20s to 50s answered that they do not know at all, and it was found that knowledge about genome-edited foods was not widely disseminated regardless of age. In addition, 51.2% of the total respondents said they did not know at all, and the recognition was not widespread compared to the previous survey results (2021).

Source (Japanese): https://cbijapan.com/news/6253/

4) Genome-edited humans/babies

On 4 January 2026 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced a policy prohibiting the implantation of fertilised eggs created using genome editing technology – which enables genetic modification – into human wombs, with penalties for violations. They are considering enacting new legislation to regulate the birth of genome-edited children, termed ‘genome-edited babies’.

By admin | 10/01/2026 | Biotechnology, Food |

Japan Resources #199

JR-199 Download

Contents:

From the Editors: Reaching Out

Statement of Protest Against the U.S. Declaration to Resume Nuclear Testing

Joint Statement Sent to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and 10 ASEAN Countries

50th Anniversary of Peace in Vietnam

Booklet: Sayonara, Food Additives

Calling for Measures to Address Fragrance Pollution Affecting Children: New Survey Reveals Extent of Health Issues

Tabekime Campaign Update

From the Editors:

This issue of Japan Resources is published as usual on our English website as a pdf file. We also send it out on a mailing list to those who have shared their email address with us.

Did you know that Consumers Union of Japan also has an “X” account that you can subscribe to?

Since starting the English newsletter in the 1980s we have been making efforts to reach out to activists and colleagues around the world.

Back before the Internet, Japan Resources was a paper newsletter, mostly with photocopied articles and items of interest, as consumers share many of the same concerns around the world.

We hope you will also take advantage of our new online feature to contribute to Consumers Union of Japan, which makes it easy to make a financial donation online, and support our work. – Editors

By admin | 27/11/2025 | Biotechnology, Chemical pollution, Food Additives, Japan Resources, Peace |

Statement of Protest Against the U.S. Declaration to Resume Nuclear Testing

14 November 2025

To: The Embassy of the United States of America

From: Consumers Union of Japan

We are a Japanese citizens’ non governmental organization (NGO). As citizens of a nation that has suffered atomic bombings, we strongly protest President Trump’s declaration to resume nuclear testing.

Nuclear weapons are inhumane weapons that not only cause massive destruction but also inflict prolonged suffering on countless victims. Nuclear testing is an act that leads to the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the United States of America has signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. President Trump’s claim that China, Russia, and Pakistan are conducting nuclear tests is false; North Korea is the only country that has conducted nuclear tests in recent years.

Some countries possess nuclear arsenals large enough to destroy humanity multiple times over. Nuclear weapons must be abolished without delay. What your country must do is take the lead in advancing the path toward nuclear abolition. We strongly demand the withdrawal of President Trump’s remarks, which turn their back on peace.

By admin | 15/11/2025 | Peace |

Sayonara, Food Additives!

Many people want to avoid consuming food additives as much as possible, while others believe they are safe because the government says so. How does the government evaluate the safety of additives? Are they truly safe?

In Europe and the United States, research reports on the health impacts of synthetic food colourings and artificial sweeteners are emerging one after another. Japan’s food additive regulations have been driven by external pressure from the United States; it is now reported that the US is considering a comprehensive ban on coal-tar-based colorants, starting with restrictions on Red No. 3. However, neither Japan’s Food Safety Commission nor the Consumer Affairs Agency shows any sign of action.

Get our new booklet, and for now, the only option is to avoid additives. Check labels and reduce your intake of additives.

● Additives to Avoid at All Costs
● US Moves to Eliminate Major Synthetic Food Colorings
● Survey on Food Additive Usage
● School Lunch Standards Must Prioritize Children’s Health

This booklet explains that there are problems with the government’s safety assessments and that various research studies worldwide have revealed health impacts from additives previously deemed safe. We highlight specific additives you should avoid and explains their risks.

This is a must-read for anyone wanting to say goodbye to additives.

Table of Contents:

Part 1: Are Additives Safe?

Part 2: Can You Tell from the Label?

Part 3: Additives to Avoid

Part 4: Isn’t This an Additive?

Part 5: Reducing Additives

Author: Eiji Hara, Consumers Union of Japan

Click here for information in Japanese

By admin | 01/10/2025 | Food, Food Additives, Uncategorized |

Peace and the End of “American War” in Vietnam

50th Anniversary of Peace in Vietnam (October 1, 2025)

Earlier this year, I visited Vietnam. Red flags and the number “50” were displayed everywhere. In 1975, the fall of Saigon and the reunification of the country brought an end to the “American War” (as the Vietnamese call it). More than that, this war put an end to a history of suffering under Japanese imperialist rule, which lasted until 1945, and the long humiliating French colonial rule.

1975 may seem like a distant past, but traces of the intense bombing by U.S. forces, especially the use of chemical weapons like napalm and defoliants containing dioxin-contaminated 2,4-D and other herbicides, remain to this day. The environmental destruction caused by this defoliant campaign was described as “ecocide” by figures like Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Soldiers from the United States, Australia, and South Korea also suffered long-term health consequences. According to the Vietnamese government, up to 3 million people suffer from illnesses caused by Agent Orange (a mixture of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T). What I witnessed were elderly and young victims, severely disabled even 50 years later, on the beautiful streets of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City).

Today, as we advocate for food safety and oppose genetically modified crops like soybeans, we recognize that U.S. companies have developed genetically modified soybeans and corn resistant to 2,4-D. While this is certainly different from the “spraying of Agent Orange,” the contamination of food with such chemicals is utterly unacceptable. As U.S. farmers continue spraying, residual levels of 2,4-D and other herbicides have been detected near schools across the United States, as reported by the nonprofit media outlet Investigate Midwest. With growing empathy for chemical poisoning victims worldwide, this situation is ethically intolerable.

By Martin J. Frid, Co-chair Consumers Union of Japan

By admin | 01/10/2025 | Chemical pollution, North-South, Peace |

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