Monthly Archives: December 2010

Japan Resources No 152

December 28, 2010Japan Resources, Uncategorizedtopnewsfridfrid

CUJ JR 152 (pdf) Japan Resources No 152

Celebrating the end of a busy year here in Waseda today, we are also pleased to release No 152 of Japan Resources. 2010 has been shaped by the large international conference in Nagoya in October. The United Nations MOP5/COP10 conference for biological diversity was of particular interest to Consumers Union of Japan and the many groups we work together with both locally and around the world. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in this important conference.

Feel free to download the pdf file and print it for your library.

– Editors

CONTENTS:

Special Report: Genetically Modified Canola Contamination In Japan – A Call For Action In Nagoya 2010!
Press Release: Declaration Regarding The Adoption Of The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplemental Protocol
Why Are Consumers Opposing TPP?
Detailed Analysis Of The Results From Nagoya
“Add Organic Foods To The Eco Point System!”
Yokohama APEC People’s Declaration

Yokohama APEC People’s Declaration

December 22, 2010Civil Rights, Food Security, FTA, North-South, Uncategorizedtopnewsfridfrid

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an economic forum promoting the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investments, economic and technical cooperation, and related issues. Many NGOs from Japan and other coutries participated in the No! APEC Yokohama People’s Forum.

Yokohama People’s Declaration (Summary)

November 14,2010

The No! APEC Yokohama People’s Forum gathered on November 13-14, 2010 in Yokohama, Japan to protest against the APEC meeting held in the city. The executive committee consists of various individuals, citizens, workers, labour unions, civic groups, NGOs, and gender groups who oppose the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), issuing the following joint declaration:

The official Yokohama Vision presented at the APEC meeting has three pillars: regional economic integration, growth strategies, and secure communities. It boasts of the high economic growth in the Asia-Pacific Ocean nations, clinging to the myth of future economic growth. The content related to secure communities appears to despise the real security of citizens, instead valuing security of capital. We oppose the APEC Yokohama Vision, because it does not at all reflect the voice of the general public.

The following is a summary of the issues we discussed in great detail in subcommittee meetings. Consequently, the views were confirmed by all of the participants in the No! APEC Yokohama People’s Forum. Continue reading Yokohama APEC People’s Declaration →

“Add Organic Foods To The Eco Point System!”

December 22, 2010Biodiversity, Food, Organic Agriculture/Foodtopnewsfridfrid

Japan has a long history of organic farming. One of the leaders, Ishizu Fumio from Shiga Prefecture has been active during 2010 together with the Japan Citizens’ Network for Planet Diversity (MOP5 Network) and the No! GMO Campaign.

As a farmer, he has successfully shown that traditional organic farming techniques that do not rely on pesticides or chemical fertilizers are a viable way to produce healthy food. He often invites groups to his farm to show the abundant biological diversity among his wet-land rice and veggy fields.

“Add Organic foods to the Eco Point system,” Ishizu-san pleaded at a seminar in Nagoya in July, 2010. He noted that the big United Nations meeting in October would discuss liability and redress issues, in case farms are contaminated by genetically modified organisms (GMO). GMO-free zones, first introduced in Japan in 2005, are one way for farmers to communicate to consumers that they do not wish to use GMO crops.

To encourage farmers, better support is needed. This would also benefit consumers who are looking for ways to support local farmers and purchase produce and grains that are good for the environment. Ishizu-san’s farm has made a name for its rice under the “Harie Genki Rice” brand, with a group of organic farmers.

Some 500 people participated in the event in Nagoya on July 3, 2010

Over the past years, Japan’s government has come to the aid of electric appliance makers and car manufacturers with the Eco Point system. Now is the time to include certified organic food making them available at an affordable price.

Read more (in Japanese) シンポジウム「未来につなごう　いのちを育む食と農」を開催 (Seikatsu Club homepage)

MAFF information about Ishizu Fumio’s farm in Shiga Prefecture (in Japanese) むらづくりの背景動機

Japan Organic Agriculture Association website (in English)

Detailed Analysis Of Nagoya Results

December 1, 2010Biodiversity, BiotechnologyBiotechnology, topnewsfridfrid

Bio Journal, the publication by Citizens’ Biotechnology Information Center (CBIC) has made a detailed analysis of some of the most pressing issues that were discussed at the MOP5/COP10 meeting in Nagoya in October 2010.

The results of the negotiations regarding Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and the new Aichi Target (20 objectives for biodiversity protection through 2020, the expansion of protected areas to 17 percent of the world’s land and 10 percent of its waters, and to halve the rate at which natural habitats are lost) were discussed in the press, but the important Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress did not get as much attention. Bio Journal explains:

At the Convention on Biological Diversity, Fifth Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety held at the Nagoya Conference Center, agreement was reached on 15 October 2010 on the Supplementary Protocol that stipulates the framework for liability and redress in the event of loss or damage caused by GM crops. Until now there has been no internationally agreed framework or treaty for assessing liability or claiming compensation for losses caused by cross-fertilization and so on with GM crops.

Two issues made formation of the agreement extremely difficult. The first was that the conclusion concerning financial guarantees was postponed and the second was that agreement was reached when the words ‘and the products thereof’ was deleted from the text concerning ‘Living Modified Organism and the products thereof’.

The protocol, as with the Kyoto Protocol, takes the name of the city where it was established, but this time the role played by Malaysia was considered to have been significant and so the protocol was given the name “Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress” (NKL Supplementary Protocol). The protocol will enter into force when it has been ratified by 40 or more countries.