Japan steps up protection of fruit breeding rights

by

Japan plans to establish a new organization by August to manage plant variety rights and address the unauthorized cultivation of Japanese-developed crop varieties overseas.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the organization will include specialists in intellectual property and crop production. It will monitor unauthorized cultivation, support legal action overseas, and reduce the burden on local governments and breeders developing new varieties. The ministry also plans to revise the Plant Variety Protection and Seed Act during the current parliamentary session.

A ministry survey conducted last year identified suspected unauthorized distribution of seedlings from about 50 Japanese-developed varieties, including the citrus variety Beni Princess, in China and South Korea. The new organization will also encourage overseas users of protected plant material to obtain licenses, with licensing fees supporting the development of new varieties.

The ministry is also considering audits of seed and seedling businesses in Japan.

Japan is looking to systems already operating in Europe, where organizations in countries including France, Spain, and the Netherlands manage plant variety rights on behalf of breeders.

The ministry said unauthorized cultivation has also affected varieties such as Shine Muscat grapes, which have been propagated and sold in China and South Korea without authorization. According to ministry estimates, Japan could have received about US$123 million in annual licensing fees if official propagation material had been used.

The government said it has strengthened measures in response to previous cases involving the unauthorized distribution of Japanese crop varieties.

Related Agroforestry News Posts:

  1. Kerala’s Aroor Olor mango nears GI certification The century-old Aroor Olor mango variety from Kozhikode’s Purameri region in Kerala is nearing recognition with a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, following confirmation from the state government that the process is in its final stage. Responding to a submission in...
  2. Weather conditions in March cause a an earlier start to California cherries After March’s unsettling weather conditions in California What will this affect the state’s upcoming cherries? “The prospects are good, we’re hopeful this year’s crop will exceed the average,” says Nick Lucich from Delta Packing Co, noting that the 10 year...
  3. The agricultural enterprises of Belarus face challenges in the field of successful selling of vegetables The agricultural enterprises in Belarus have harvested an abundance of vegetables this year. The main issue isn’t a lack of vegetables, but issues in the sale of. Even though it was able to efficiently use over 90 hectares of agricultural...
  4. Vietnamese lychees reach record sales in U.S. and Australia Vietnamese lychees are expanding their international reach with growing success in both the United States and Australia. In the U.S., Dragonberry Produce has launched its 2025 campaign to distribute lychees grown in Bac Ninh province through major supermarket chains, including...
  5. Latvia announces an embargo of Russian as well Belarusian agricultural products imported into the country A ground-breaking decision the Latvian parliament passed prohibitions on imports of agricultural goods that originate from Russia and Belarus and is positioning itself as one of the very first European Union member to enforce this kind of ban. The legislative...

Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies