Japan has something of a split personality in its approach to crop biotechnology. The nation's research institutes are moving full-speed ahead. Through strategic alliances with U.S. biotech industries, they've developed more than 40 transgenic plants, most of which have undergone or are currently being tested for environmental safety. These include virus-resistant rice, petunia, tomato, melon, tobacco and potato, and low protein rice, low-allergen rice and delayed-ripening tomato plants.

But research is one thing, consumer acceptance is another. The Japanese public has expressed serious concerns about the safety of GM crops and foods. Thirty-five foods made with ingredients from GM crops are now on the market in Japan. A new law requiring labels on some of those products goes into effect in April, 2001. Many food processors have begun advertising GM-free products; some consumers are paying premiums for non-GM soybeans and rice. American farmers and biotech companies have a big stake in Japan's debate over GM crops; Japan imports more U.S. corn than all European countries combined.

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