1.Monitoring the escape of transgenic oilseed rape around Japanese ports and roadsides
2.News about Japan from Akiko Frid
EXTRACT: To our knowledge, this is the first published example of feral, transgenic populations occurring in a nation where the transgenic crop has not been cultivated commercially. (item 1)
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1.Monitoring the escape of transgenic oilseed rape around Japanese ports and roadsides
Environ. Biosafety Res. 4 (2005) 217-222
DOI: 10.1051/ebr:2006003
Monitoring the escape of transgenic oilseed rape around Japanese ports and roadsides Hikaru Saji1, Nobuyoshi Nakajima2, Mitsuko Aono1, Masanori Tamaoki2, Akihiro Kubo1, Seiji Wakiyama3, Yoriko Hatase3 and Masato Nagatsu3 [see end for authors' addresses]
Abstract
An investigation was carried out to monitor the escape and spread of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) transgenic plants and the introgression of transgenes to its closely related feral species in Japan. We screened a total of about 7500 feral B. napus, 300 B. rapa, and 5800 B. juncea seedlings from maternal plants in 143 locations at several ports, roadsides, and riverbanks. The presence of glufosinate-resistance or glyphosate-resistance transgenes in these seedlings was confirmed by means of herbicide treatments and also immunochemical and DNA analyses. B. napus plants with herbicide-resistant transgenic seeds were found at five of six major ports and along two of four sampled roadsides in the Kanto District. Transgenic oilseed rape plants have not been commercially cultivated in Japan, suggesting that the transgenes would probably have come from imported transgenic seeds that were spilled during transportation to oilseed processing facilities. No transgenes were detected in seeds collected from B. napus plants growing along riverbanks in the Kanto District or in seeds from closely related species (B. rapa and B. juncea). To our knowledge, this is the first published example of feral, transgenic populations occurring in a nation where the transgenic crop has not been cultivated commercially.
Corresponding author: Hikaru Saji This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
1 Environmental Biology Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305-8506, Japan
2 Biodiversity Conservation Research Project, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305-8506, Japan
3 Japan Wildlife Research Center, 3-10-10 Shitaya, Taito-Ku, Tokyo, 110-8676, Japan
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2.News about Japan from Akiko Frid
Dear Friends,
Hello from Japan. Hope you are all well.
Please read my husband's blog about the codex meeting in Japan as well as the GMO Free Zone in Japan here:
http://martinjapan.blogspot.com/
And also please check the CBIC's website about the recent information in Japan:
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~cbic/english/index.html
We will hold an event this weekend to think back the 10 years of campaigning to oppose GMOs. Now we have many new NGOs and groups who've joined the campaign:
http://www.no-gmo.org/12.02_no_gmo_party/index.html
As you might know that I have been working with Greenpeace Japan on the GMOs and will be here until next year:
http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/gm/diary/
We are doing well here in Japan and people's awareness about the danger of GMOs are increasing. We have made a GMO guide: True Food Guide in Japan too:
http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/gm/truefood/search_html?aisle=0&keyword=&rank=all&flag=1
At the moment, our targeted company is Morinaga & Co.
http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/gm/cyberaction/morinaga_card
We are receiving many messages from people in Japan.
It is very strange that the US has approved LLrice601, but I know we will stop GMOs!
Let's keep working together!
Sincerely,
Akiko