The Institute of Fruit Tree and Tea Science of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NAROjis working on the remodeling of grape varieties using genome editing. Research has now begun on the Kyoho variety after working on Shine Muscat. The remodeling involves the elimination of a retrotransposon gene in an attempt to alter and improve the coloration of the fruit skin. (Nikkei Biotech 2019/9/13)

On 27 August 2019, on application by Monsanto Japan, MAFF evaluated as safe GM cotton into which seven kinds of genes have been inserted, and initiated a call for public comment. This GM cotton incorporates genes for four types of insecticidal toxins, for the Hemiptera order, Thysanoptera order, Coleoptera order and Lepidoptera order as well as the three types of gene resistance for the herbicides Dicamba, glufosinate and glyphosate. The MAFF safety screening claims that there is no problem with multiple genes if each of them has received separate approval previously, but this is the first time that a crop with as many as seven inserted genes has been approved.