The bacteria that cause cholera infect the gut and bloody the stool of victims. Roughly 200,000 cases occur each year in Africa, India and Russia, among other places. The microbe that causes it—Vibrio cholerae—travels from host to host in water and on washed food, where it can persist for almost a week. Vaccines exist but provide short-lived protection; some require refrigeration from when they are brewed in an industrial vat to the moment they are injected into a patient. Now Japanese researchers have created a strain of rice that can act as a vaccine and last for more than a year and a half at room temperature.

The agriculture ministry set up a study team Tuesday to spur commercialization of genetically modified crops for biofuel instead of food, which has been largely shunned by the public because of safety concerns. By promoting the commercialization of GM crops for fuel, the ministry hopes to eventually gain the public’s trust in using GM crops for human consumption.

Why take all the trouble to dye silk when silkworms can be genetically modified to spin any colour of the rainbow? [...] For starters, the researchers have produced silkworms that make yellow silk. But they say that in the future, the worms could be manipulated to produce flesh-coloured or reddish silk.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has decided to develop a genetically modified rice aimed at alleviating symptoms of hay fever as a drug because the health ministry has determined that the rice falls into the category of a medical product. The ministry had initially aimed to put the rice on the market as a food product, but had to abandon the development of the rice as a food due to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry’s decision. As it takes longer for medical products to be officially authorized, the plan to put the rice on the market will be greatly delayed.

Something as simple as eating a bowl of rice could bring relief to millions of Japanese hay fever sufferers each year -- if that rice is ever allowed to hit the market. The rice, now under development in Japan, is genetically modified, but GM technology is still viewed with deep suspicion by many consumers here, where no GMO crops are commercially grown despite increasing a growth in global acreage. Still, some industry officials say a biotech crop with health-enhancing characteristics may offer one of the best chances for acceptance of GMO crops in a country that boasts one of the world’s longest average life spans.

A chemical that makes sour, acidic food taste wonderfully sweet may soon be flowing from a genetically altered lettuce created by scientists in Japan. A team of researchers at the University of Tsukuba genetically engineered lettuce into a living factory capable of producing large quantities of miraculin, a protein that can fool taste buds into thinking acidic foods and liquids are actually sweet.

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.

There are currently a number of local governments (prefectures) which have passed, or are in the process of formulating, bylaws concerning food safety and security. Such bylaws carrying clauses concerning protection against cross-pollination or contamination by GM crops are on the increase. Local governments are also drawing up separate bylaws specifically to deal with GM crop regulation, such as Hokkaido and Niigata. Some prefectures are drawing up their own independent guidelines, such as Shiga and Iwate. In opposition to these moves by the prefectures, MAFF is showing signs of moving towards a the enactment of a law for the co-existence of the three types of farming, GM farming, conventional farming, and organic farming. See the table below for a breakdown of the current situation in the prefectures.

The increased output of genetically modified corn and soybeans in the U.S. is forcing small and midsize Japanese foodmakers to look for new suppliers to meet demand from local consumers.

Oji Paper Co. has successfully grafted natural eucalyptus onto genetically modified eucalyptus to create trees that grow well in acidic soils without worry that genetically altered seeds will spread in the environment. The graft has the root system of a eucalyptus tree genetically modified to absorb nutrients in acidic soils, where eucalyptus normally does not thrive. The rest of the graft from the trunk up is derived from a natural eucalyptus tree.