Japanese Parliament Creates Food Safety League
for Oversight of GMOs and Herbicides like Glyphosate
Contact: Debbie Luican
December 23, 2019, Mission Viejo, CA - On December 1st, led by Ryuhei Kawada, member of the Japanese Parliament and Head of the Oversight Committee, a group of Japanese officials inaugurated the Food Safety League (FSL) in the Japanese Diet (parliament). Concerned about food safety and security in Japan, they recognize that ensuring a stable food supply for the Japanese people is a political mission. In 2017, for instance, due to the relaxing of government regulation, pesticide residue allowances on Japanese imports increased by 400X.
A press release from FSL Chairman Mr. Takashi Shinohara, Executive Director Ryuhei Kawada, and the 16 other FSL members stated:
We are being more and more exposed to a quality of food crisis due to technological developments that emphasize economic efficiency rather than safety, such as genetically modified organisms which are contaminated with cancerous pesticides, and gene-edited organisms. In addition, we are also concerned that imported food products and livestock quarantines are being deregulated, and food labeling is under international control. Quarantine and labeling standards need to be strengthened for ensuring the security and trust of Japanese consumers.
We believe that food safety and security is one of the most important missions of our government. Responsible and independent efforts are needed immediately for consumers, producers, suppliers, and especially for all of our children.
We must comprehensively promote and solve these issues by taking legislative actions: food safety regulation, comprehensive labeling, strengthening safety testing, etc. in order to pass high level food safety and security to the next generation.
Zen Honeycutt, Founding Executive Director of California-based nonprofit Moms Across America (and group Mothers Across the World), was invited to speak at the inaugural meeting of the FSL on December 2nd. “It is a historic moment for the world that the Japanese parliament created the exemplary Food Safety League. As the Japanese own the world’s largest grain distribution center, based in the US, they are a major force in world agriculture. Japan is also a major consumer of US export GMO crops including corn and soy, used in their cooking oils and animal feed. As the Japan FSL raises the bar on healthy food supplies for Japanese citizens, they will also be impacting farming practices and food supplies for people around the world. This impact could mean transitioning from agrochemical GMO farming to regenerative organic farming, which means sequestering more carbon, increasing water retention, reducing pollution in waterways, and reducing climate chaos around the world.”
Ryuhei Kawada, Executive Director of FSL, is highly motivated to protect Japanese citizens from harmful imported products. When he was 10 years old he infected with HIV by an imported American blood product that was used to treat hemophilia. The Japanese government concealed the known danger and allowed the Japanese people to use the blood products without any safety regulations. Hemophilia patients were unaware of the dangers and 2000 people were infected with HIV.
Kawada noted that the Japanese government was again, allowing harmful products into their country- this time in the form of pesticides and gene edited foods. He stated, “The Food Safety League is a great opportunity to make Japan a respected country that guarantees food safety and social justice. With the creation of FSL we declare our determination to work with people around the world who have the same aspirations, and fight against the distorted values that make our children’s health a tool for making money.”
Ryuhei Kawada makes a call to action in this video for more Parliament members to join this Food Safety League.
In America, Moms Across America calls for a similar US committee to be formed. To contact your Representative or Senator and ask them to form a Food Safety Committee click here.
To read a full report of the historic actions for food safety in Japan, click here.
Contact in Japan:
Chairman Mr. Takashi Shinohara
Exe.Director Ryuhei Kawada - [email protected]
Member MP: Masako Ohgawara, Makoto Yamazaki, Takahiro Sasaki,Keinin Horikoshi,Wakako Yamamoto, Kaname Tajima, Eri Tokunaga, Mitsunori Okamoto, Takako Nagae,Yukiko Kada, Genki Sudo, Mami Tamura, Hideya Sugio, Mizugo Fukushima, Akiko Kamei, Tomoko Kami.
Moms Across America is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to educate and empower mothers and others with actions and solutions to create healthy communities. Moms Across America’s website is now available in Japanese and Spanish.
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