The results of the nationwide GM canola survey called for by the citizens' organization "No! GMO Campaign" were announced at a meeting in Tokyo on 8 July 2006. In this survey, the second after the survey conducted in 2005, 1942 samples were taken in 42 prefectures. 38 positive samples were found using the simple kit for preliminary protein testing, of which 31 were found to be positive in a second DNA test by the PCR method.

Similar to the results of the 2005 survey, GM varieties of canola were confirmed to be growing in the wild in totally unexpected locations far from distribution routes. The canola pollution detected in Hiji Town, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, shows that this pollution has now spread much more widely than had previously been thought.

(Please see Closeup, below, for links to previous articles.)

Table 1: Nationwide survey of GM canola pollution
Surveyed region	Number of sites surveyed	Positive in primary test		Positive in secondary test
		RR	LL	RR	LL	RR+LL
Fukuoka	504	12	13	13	8	0
Oita	19	0	1	0	1	0
Hyogo	30	0	1	0	1	0
Ibaraki	21	2	0	0	2	0
Chiba	238	1	1	4	0	1
Others (37)	1130	4	3	0	0	0
TOTAL	1942	19	19	17	12	1
		(Total=38)		(Total=30)
RR=RoundupReady Canola, LL=LibertyLink: Basta tolerant canola

Nominren (National Liaison of the Farmers' Movement) have announced the results of their survey on wild GM canola pollution in Japan. Other surveys were also carried out by citizens' groups responding to a call for surveys by the Nominren. Further, the Chubu no Kai (Central Japan Association) for Considering GM Food has also announced the results of its survey. All of these surveys were carried out using simple kits for protein testing, and the surveyed locations were mainly around ports where canola is unloaded, oil processing factories, and main roads. Many wild GM canola plants were confirmed in Aichi, Mie, and Chiba Prefectures.

Table 2: Survey of GM canola pollution (Nominren)
Surveyed Region	Number of sites surveyed	Positive
		RR	LL
Chiba	12	2	2
Shizuoka	5	0	3
Aichi	16	9	2
Mie	29	8	8
Hyogo	1	1	0
Others (2)	58	0	0
TOTAL	121	20	15

Table 3: Survey of GM canola pollution (Nominren and citizens' groups)
Surveyed Region	Number of sites surveyed	Positive
		RR	LL
Kanagawa	13	1	0
Mie	15	4	0
Others (8)	25	0	0
TOTAL	53	5	0

Table 4: Survey of GM canola pollution (Chubu no Kai and others)
Surveyed Region	Number of sites surveyed	Positive
		RR	LL
Ibaraki	13	1	0
Chiba	15	13	3
Aichi	37	5	5
Mie	57	28	9
Hyogo	6	1	0
Others (6)	55	0	0
TOTAL	183	48	17
RR=RoundupReady canola, LL=LibertyLink: Basta tolerant canola

MAFF announced its "Results of Investigation into Labeling of Soy Processed Foods" on 5 July 2006. The labels "domestic soy used", "organic soy used", and "GM soy not used" of 177,409 soy processed food products from 3003 shops were investigated. At the same time, of 300 soy processed food products were investigated for GM soy contamination. GM soy was confirmed in 66% of these, showing that cross-pollination and contamination have reached serious proportions.

Table 5: Investigation into labeling of soy processed food products
Soy processed food	Number	Positive	Negative	Unanalyzable
Tofu, aburaage	143	111	31	1
Yuba	14	7	7	0
Natto	57	27	14	16
Soy milk	27	14	13	0
Miso	59	16	24	19
TOTAL	300	175	89	36

A meeting of the joint MHLW and MEXT specialist committee considering standards for the production and use of human embryos for research purposes was held on 7 July 2006. Deliberations were carried out on prohibitions and the limits of research that would be approved. The current "specified clone guidelines" permit use of animal aggregate embryos only, and with the exception of the human cloned embryo now being discusses by MEXT, the focus this time is on what other embryo research would be permitted. Broad agreement was reached on two points: embryos used for research should not be returned to the uterus, and handling of the embryo should not extend beyond 14 days, or beyond the primitive streak stage of the embryo. However, there was some opposition from researchers and medical professionals. A director of the Japan Medical Association Katsuyuki Kinoshita queried, "It is possible that in exceptional cases the embryo should be returned (to the uterus). If this is banned outright then research leading to clinical practice will not be possible, so isn't there some way we could allow exceptions?" Professor Yasunori Yoshimura of Keio Medical School stated that, "It would be very difficult to ban return of an embryo produced between a husband and wife."

The results of the nationwide survey into GM canola plants growing wild in Japan have been announced. 1942 samples were taken, of which 31 turned out to be positive after the secondary test.

The extent to which GM canola seeds are being spilled during entry to or exit from warehouses and factories, loading or unloading of trucks, and during transportation is now clear. In addition, GM canola varieties have now been confirmed growing wild in Fukuoka, Oita, Chiba and other prefectures far from distribution routes, where it should not be possible to find them at all.

The state of GM pollution was first uncovered on 29 June 2004 when MAFF announced that GM canola was found to be growing wild around Kashima Port, Ibaraki Prefecture (BJ August 2004). Following that, NIES published a report, "Environmental impact monitoring regarding Genetically Modified Organisms (rapeseed)", on 17 February 2005 (BJ April 2005. See also BJ May 2006). Riverside areas and so on were also included in this report, but no GM canola pollution was detected anywhere except around import ports.

Following this, surveys by citizens' organizations around the country began to realize that the pollution was spreading nationwide, but it was not until the results of this survey, continuing on from a survey conducted in 2005, that we understood that the GM pollution had spread further than we had imagined.

MAFF has released its viewpoint, stating that, "Based on the guidelines for the use of GMOs in the agricultural, forestry and fisheries domain, we have carried out an assessment based on the assumption of spillage and growth of the said canola, and have confirmed the safety of this matter. Therefore, even if the GM canola plants are confirmed to be growing, we believe this posed no threat to the safety of Japan's food, feed or environment." However, two canola varieties with herbicide tolerance that MAFF had not envisioned were confirmed to be growing in the wild.

GM canola samples taken in Chiba Prefecture during this survey contained both Roundup and Basta tolerance. Varieties containing genes for tolerance for both herbicides are not manufactured, and so it is thought that the plants have crossbred during cultivation or following spillage.

At the nationwide meeting held in Meguro, Tokyo, on 8 July 2006 to report on the survey, surveys by other citizens' groups (Nominren - National Liaison of the Farmers' Movement, Chubu no Kai - the Central Japan Association, Tane Netto - Seed Network, and so on) were also announced. Including protein sampling using a simple kit, a grand total of 2299 samples were taken in 44 prefectures nationwide, GM canola being found in 135 samples in nine prefectures.