Table 1. GM crops approved for open field cultivation (Type 1 usage) (Biodiversity Impact Assessment Investigative Commission)
Crop	Trait	Application (Developer)	Name	Approval Date*
Maize	Drought tolerance, lepidoptera and coleoptera resistance, and glyphosate herbicide tolerance	Monsanto Japan	MON87460×MON89034×MON88017, OECD UI: MON-87460-4×MON-89034-3×MON-88017-3	24 April 2012
Maize	Drought tolerance, lepidoptera resistance, and glyphosate herbicide tolerance	Monsanto Japan	MON87460×MON89034×NK603, OECD UI: MON-87460-4×MON-89034-3×MON-00603-6	24 April 2012
Maize	Drought tolerance and glyphosate herbicide tolerance	Monsanto Japan	MON87460×NK603, OECD UI: MON-87460-4×MON-00603-6	24 April 2012
* Technically, approval is granted after public comments have been accepted.

The nationwide survey of GM canola contamination in Japan carried out by citizens in 2012 (see BJ August 2011 for previous survey) narrowed down the number of locations to be surveyed, as in the previous year, taking 787 samples from locations in 34 prefectures. However, the surprising fact was that the highest number yet of positive samples was found, 121 from 15 prefectures, showing that the contamination is continuing to spread. Including past records and the prefectures in which MAFF surveys have found GM canola contamination, Hokkaido, Aomori and Miyagi, the number of prefectures in which contamination has been discovered has now reached 20.

The characteristic feature of this year�fs survey is that as well as discovering GM canola volunteers where they are likely to be found, as known from previous surveys, contamination was also found to have spread widely to other areas. There were many locations in which GM canola contamination was found for the first time: Hitachinaka City in Ibaraki Prefecture; Kashiwa City, Kamagaya City, and Matsudo City in Chiba Prefecture; Ohtsuki City in Yamanashi Prefecture; Takatsuki City and Suita City in Osaka-fu; Yamato-Kohriyama City and Tawaramoto Town in Nara Prefecture; Hatsukaichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture; Ube City and Shimonoseki City in Yamaguchi Prefecture; Munakata City in Fukuoka Prefecture; Amakusa City in Kumamoto Prefecture; Hioki City in Kagoshima Prefecture, and others.

Intercrossing has become very general, GM canola with tolerance to both Roundup and Basta being found every year. Previously, Roundup-tolerant GM canola was prevalent, but in recent years Basta-tolerant GM canola has been found more often. The majority of positive samples this year were Basta tolerant. The most important reason for this is the spread of Roundup-tolerant weeds, causing an ongoing switch in herbicide from Roundup to Basta.

A survey to find �ghidden�h GM canola, those for which samples were negative on the primary test, but showed up positive on the secondary test, was launched this year. The analyses are still continuing, but of 31 samples taken in Fukuoka, Mie and Ibaraki Prefectures, �ghidden�h GM canola has been confirmed in five samples taken along National Route 23 in Mie and two samples taken at Hakata Port in Fukuoka.

Table 2. Results of 2012 "GM Canola Volunteers Survey"
Prefecture	No. of samples	Primary test
		Roundup tolerant	Basta tolerant	Double tolerance
Ibaraki	49	1	7
Chiba	39	2	23
Kanagawa	13		1
Yamanashi	14		3
Shizuoka	37	1	2
Aichi	40	1	6	1
Osaka	53		7
Nara	25		5
Hyogo	29	1	4
Okayama	17		1
Hiroshima	8		1
Yamaguchi	18	1	4
Fukuoka	78	16	26	1
Kumamoto	53		4
Kagoshima	16		2
19 other Prefs	298
TOTAL for 34 Prefs	787	23	96	2
		(No. of positive samples: 121)
Compiled by the NO! GE Foods Campaign