Japan: Green Light For J.R. Simplot’s CRISPR-Cas9 Edited High Tuber Set Potato
A genome-edited potato was added by the Government of Japan (GOJ) in October 2024 to the list of products exempt from laws governing genetically modified food and feed. This is the second product created by a non-Japanese business and the seventh genome-edited product added to the list.
Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, the J.R. Simplot Company created a genome-edited potato product that produced a higher tuber set by eliminating 110 base pairs from the “Gn2” gene.
In October 2024, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) regulatory authorities added the potato to the list of genome-edited products that are not subject to Japan’s GE food and feed regulations.
As Japan restricts the import of U.S. fresh potatoes due to plant health sanitary and phytosanitary concerns, MAFF considers a biodiversity notification unnecessary.
The CAA and MAFF request that all developers and/or companies that seek regulatory review of genome-edited products in Japan undergo a consultation and notification process prior to commercialization in Japan.
As of March 2025, CAA and MAFF have seven products to their lists of genome-edited products that are not subject to Japan’s GE food and feed regulations, including two tomatoes with high GABA content, a high-yield seabream fish, a fast-growing tiger pufferfish, waxy corn, a fast-growing olive flounder, and the high-tuber potato.
