TOKYO - The Japanese government will establish a new organization by August to manage plant variety rights, aiming to curb overseas leakage of branded fruits and other crops by monitoring unauthorized cultivation and pursuing lawsuits abroad, according to officials.
A farm ministry survey conducted last year revealed suspicions that seedlings of about 50 varieties of Japanese-developed farm products, including the highly prized citrus Beni Princess, have leaked to China and South Korea and had been sold online without permission.
As a countermeasure, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries also plans to revise the Plant Variety Protection and Seed Act during the ongoing parliamentary session.
The new body, comprising experts familiar with intellectual property and crops, will be established in Japan. It will aim to reduce the burden on local governments and individuals that have developed new varieties, as they may face difficulties pursuing legal action overseas due to language barriers and limited legal knowledge.
It will also urge non-developers to obtain proper authorization when using protected seedlings overseas. The collected licensing fees will be invested in the development of new varieties.
The ministry is also considering measures such as auditing seed and seedling businesses in Japan.
Japan hopes to follow the example of Europe, where plant variety rights are already protected by similar organizations. France has an organization managing the rights on behalf of more than 300 companies and public organizations, and similar organizations operate in Spain and the Netherlands.
Japan has already experienced numerous leaks of premium crops, including Shine Muscat grapes, which have been grown and sold without permission in countries such as China and South Korea.
According to the ministry, Japan could have received about 20 billion yen ($123 million) in license fees per year if growers of Shine Muscat in China and South Korea had purchased their seeds and seedlings through official channels.
It has strengthened countermeasures in stages in response to such leakage cases.
