The Trump administration has pressed the Japanese government to lift the ban on all imports of potatoes, and the Takaichi administration is taking a positive stand on the issue. Thus far, pressure from the US government has gradually expanded the import quota for potatoes, but only to a limited extent, and only for use as potato chips. This time, pressure is increasing for potatoes to be used for all purposes, including raw potatoes in stores, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is already in the process of revising the regulations for enforcement of the Plant Protection Act in anticipation of the lifting of the ban.

The problem with US potatoes is not limited to price. A persistent pest called a cyst nematode is currently spreading in the United States. Covered in a shroud called a cyst, this pest can survive in the harshest of environments and is resistant to all pesticides. Exports of US potatoes to Japan have been banned for many years due to the prevalence of the nematode.

However, bowing to pressure from the US government, the ban was partially lifted in 2006 and its scope has gradually diminished since then. In 2006, imports were allowed for a limited period, from February to July, with conditions such as usage limited to potato chips, exclusion of potatoes from areas infested with cyst nematodes, and complete removal of soil.

Many types of dangerous agrichemicals are also used on US potatoes. One of these is the coating of potatoes with chemicals to protect them from pests, lengthen shelf life, and prevent sprouting during export. The use of such chemicals is illegal in Japan. The government, however, has taken the unusual step of allowing the use of these chemicals by calling them food additives. The use of fludioxonil was approved in 2011 and difenoconazole in 2020.

These are not the only problems with American potatoes. In recent years, the world's first RNA pesticide has been used to control the Colorado potato beetle, which has developed resistance to chemical insecticides. This is a novel application of biotechnology to produce a pesticide that kills insects using a method termed RNA interference, which interferes with the insect's genes. The main ingredient of the pesticide, developed by the US GreenLight Biosciences, is an RNA genetic material called ledprona. The RNA enters the insect's body, disrupts a specific gene, and kills the insect. In December 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered the pesticide Calantha for the Colorado potato beetle. It was the world�fs first registered RNA pesticide.

RNA pesticides interfere with genes governing apoptosis. Every organism has an apoptosis gene, a gene that causes cell death. However, sudden death caused by inadvertent activation of this gene would be a serious problem. For this reason, there is a gene that produces an inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) that prevents the apoptosis gene from functioning. The RNA pesticide disrupts the function of this gene. When the IAP gene is disrupted, the apoptosis gene is activated. If this gene is in a vital cell, it leads to death and thus functions as an insecticide. However, the careless spread of the use of this pesticide could lead to irreversible consequences, such as unexpected apoptosis and distortion of life activities.

American potatoes pose another even bigger problem. Genetically modified potatoes have become widespread, and recently genome-edited potatoes have also joined their ranks. It now seems very likely that these raw potatoes will be imported. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MLHW) approved the distribution of GM potatoes as food on July 20, 2017, after the Food Safety Commission assessed them as safe. The approved GM potatoes are genetically modified to prevent the blackening of potatoes, which can occur when bumped, and also contain reduced amounts of the carcinogen acrylamide. Nevertheless, as pointed out by Caius Rommens, a researcher at J.R. Simplot Company, which developed the potatoes, these GM potatoes have serious issues that threaten their food safety, such as the production of new toxins.

The Consumer Affairs Agency registered the genome-edited potatoes developed by J.R. Simplot on October 16, 2024, and their distribution is now possible. The genome-edited potatoes have been modified through genome editing technology to increase their numbers, albeit as smaller potatoes, resulting in higher yields (high-yield baby potatoes). Currently, there are no safety inspections or food labeling requirements for genome-edited crops in Japan, and it is unclear whether they are being used or not. If the import ban is lifted as things stand, domestic potato production will collapse, and there is a strong possibility that the potatoes on the dinner table will be replaced by dangerous US-produced potatoes.

One of the 17 areas of the economic growth strategy pursued by the Takaichi administration is foodtech, and according to the public-private roadmap, 9.7 trillion yen will be spent on this area. The largest investment, 4 trillion yen, will be spent on plant factories. Toward the realization of the roadmap, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) recently announced the Foodtech Growth Strategy Promotion Program and requested 50.214 billion yen in the budget for fiscal 2027. How much effort is going into this area can be understood from the fact that the amount requested for this area last fiscal year was 117 million yen. In particular, a massive budget is requested for measures to support concrete commercialization, such as establishing mass production systems through large-scale technology demonstrations. At 36.75 billion yen, this alone accounts for a large part of the food tech budget. Almost no budget is earmarked for what are conventionally thought to be the most important areas, such as basic research, food safety, and environmental impact.