Japan suspects illegal sale of homegrown seedlings in China and S. Korea
A survey by the farm ministry revealed on Friday that around 50 Japanese-developed varieties of farm products, including prized citrus and strawberries, are suspected of having been sold online without authorization, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing Kyodo.
The survey results, conducted from July to September last year, come as the Japanese government intensifies its efforts to address the unauthorized export of agricultural products overseas. The government is advocating for the enactment of a revised plant variety protection law during the current parliamentary session.
Japanese-developed plant varieties confirmed to have been sold on the websites of seed companies in China and South Korea include Beni Princess, a citrus variety developed over nearly two decades by Ehime Prefecture and often promoted as a "citrus thoroughbred."
Other varieties suspected of being leaked include Toki apples, primarily grown in Aomori Prefecture, Kotoka strawberries, developed in Nara Prefecture, and Seiobo peaches, produced in Fukushima and Yamagata prefectures.
The seedlings were sold under names identical or similar to those used in Japan. Beni Princess, among others, was sold under a Chinese-character name that conveyed the same meaning.
Some seedlings might have been exported abroad before the varieties were registered.
In 2020, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries published similar survey results indicating that about 36 varieties may have been exported abroad.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Sony Group Corp. announced it would stop selling its iconic aibo robot dog in Japan once the current stock is depleted.