From the Associated Press..

TOKYO (January 18, 2001 7:05 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Japan has
asked the United States to explain
how genetically modified corn banned in Japan has again crept into imports
from America, a Health Ministry
official said Thursday.

Inspectors on Monday found samples in a corn shipment from the United
States, said Yoshiko Saito, an official
in the ministry's Food Sanitation Division. U.S. tests before shipment
showed no traces, she said.

The modified corn, called StarLink, was developed by North Carolina-based
Aventis CropScience.

American exports of corn to Japan - the biggest overseas market for U.S.
planters - tumbled after a Japanese
consumer group complained in October that StarLink had been detected in
snack foods and animal feed here.

Health officials in the United States are testing genetically modified corn
amid worries that it could cause
allergic reactions. The corn's genes have been altered so that it produces
its own pesticide.

Officials from the two countries agreed in November to jointly test future
shipments for presence of genetically
modified varieties.

Tokyo on Tuesday asked Washington to explain its inspection and handling
procedures for clues to how
StarLink found its way into the imported corn, but has so far gotten no
response, Saito said.

"This is a big concern. It's happened again even after we set up an
agreement to test shipments to prevent this
from recurring," Saito said.

U.S. Embassy officials in Tokyo declined to comment.

Health authorities said in December that about 28,000 tons of genetically
modified corn was imported into
Japan early last year from the United States and used in food.

Japan bans genetically modified corn because it has not finished assessing
the health risks from eating
products made from the altered corn.

Under a Japanese law that takes effect April 1, Saito said those found
guilty of importing genetically altered
corn will face a maximum fine of $840 or one year in prison.

StarLink is approved for animal feed but not human consumption in the United
States. Taco shells were pulled
from the shelves of U.S. supermarkets earlier this year after StarLink was
identified among the ingredients.

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