The establishment of the food safety commission (FSC) and its role in relation to boiling spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Japan

After the detection of the first case of bovine spongiformencephalopathy (BSE) in Japan, severalmeasures were introduced to protect public and animal health. Those measures included BSE testing of all cattle slaughtered for human consumption with a rapid test, removal of specified risk materials (SRM), enhancement of surveillance, and feed ban. In addition, the Food Safety Basic Law was enforced and the Food Safety Commission (FSC) was established in July 2003 to strengthen the function of the government in food safety. In December 2004, the first case of BSE was detected in the United States, and the Japanese government suspended importation of beef from the US to Japan, causing a new trade issue between the two countries. This article outlines how the Japanese government addressed the domestic BSE issues and bilateral trade issues in consultation with the FSC.Après la détection du premier cas d'encéphalopathie spongiforme bovine (ESB) au Japon, plusieurs mesures ont été prises pour protéger la santé publique et animale. Elles comprennent le dépistage de l'ESB, par un test rapide, de tous les bovins abattus pour la consommation humaine, le retrait des matériels à risques spécifiés (MRS), le renforcement de la surveillance et l'interdiction des farines de viandes et d'os. En outre, la Loi fondamentale sur la sécurité alimentaire a été appliquée et la Commission de la sécurité sanitaire des aliments (CSSA) a été créée en juillet 2003 pour conseiller le gouvernement en matière de sécurité alimentaire. En décembre 2004, suite au premier cas d'ESB détecté aux Etats-Unis, le gouvernement japonais a suspendu l'importation de viande bovine qui en provenait, provoquant un nouveau problème commercial entre les deux pays. Cet article décrit la façon dont le gouvernement japonais, après consultation de la CSSA, a contrôlé, au plan national, la situation relative à l'ESB et les relations commerciales bilatérales

Investigation by Imaging Mass Spectrometry of Biomarker Candidates for Aging in the Hair Cortex

BACKGROUND: Human hair is one of the essential components that define appearance and is a useful source of samples for non-invasive biomonitoring. We describe a novel application of imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) of hair biomolecules for advanced molecular characterization and a better understanding of hair aging. As a cosmetic and biomedical application, molecules whose levels in hair altered with aging were comprehensively investigated. METHODS: Human hair was collected from 15 young (20±5 years old) and 15 older (50±5 years old) volunteers. Matrix-free laser desorption/ionization IMS was used to visualize molecular distribution in the hair sections. Hair-specific ions displaying a significant difference in the intensities between the 2 age groups were extracted as candidate markers for aging. Tissue localization of the molecules and alterations in their levels in the cortex and medulla in the young and old groups were determined. RESULTS: Among the 31 molecules detected specifically in hair sections, 2--one at m/z 153.00, tentatively assigned to be dihydrouracil, and the other at m/z 207.04, identified to be 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid (DHMA)--exhibited a higher signal intensity in the young group than in the old, and 1 molecule at m/z 164.00, presumed to be O-phosphoethanolamine, displayed a higher intensity in the old group. Among the 3, putative O-phosphoethanolamine showed a cortex-specific distribution. The 3 molecules in cortex presented the same pattern of alteration in signal intensity with aging, whereas those in medulla did not exhibit significant alteration. CONCLUSION: Three molecules whose levels in hair altered with age were extracted. While they are all possible markers for aging, putative dihydrouracil and DHMA, are also suspected to play a role in maintaining hair properties and could be targets for cosmetic supplementation. Mapping of ion localization in hair by IMS is a powerful method to extract biomolecules in specified regions and determine their tissue distribution

Application of a Sugarcane Harvester for Harvesting of Willow Trees Aimed at Short Rotation Forestry: an Experimental Case Study in Japan

An experiment on the growing and harvesting of willow trees aimed at short rotation forestry was conducted in northern Japan. Willows were harvested using a sugarcane harvester from southern Japan during its agricultural off-season. The growing experiment showed the high potential of willow plantations to produce woody biomass of more than 10 dry-t/ha/y. The harvesting experiment showed that space for turning around, one line in one row as a planting method, a growing cycle of three years, and an extractor fan in the harvester are necessary for mechanical harvesting. Mechanical harvesting was considered to have little influence on willow regeneration provided that the machine cut reasonably well-grown trees. The system performance of harvesting and collecting willow billets in a hypothetical model field was calculated as 22.4 m^3/h, suggesting the feasibility of supplying low-cost wood chips

Application of an Adaptive Forest Management Simulation Model Based on Zoning in a Man-Made Forest

In this study, shifts from the current forest physiognomy to a target forest physiognomy were modeled by applying the concept of zoning simulation. The objective was to present the process of generating management options for man-made forests in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The assessment method was a wide-ranging and long-term simple simulation based on several indicators, such as geographical distribution and tree species, and adapted the concept of changes in forest physiognomy. A headwater forest in Kanagawa Prefecture, which covers an area of about 3784 ha and consists of 4445 forest stands, was investigated. Four plans were established based on the present state of the forest stands. The results indicated that factors for expressing forest physiognomy and their expression methods should be determined, and physiognomy models should be constructed to establish the actual state of the forests in each region. With this simulation, it is possible to forecast long-term changes at forest stand and basin levels for each scenario. However, only data from forestry register were used in this study, and it is expected that different results would be obtained by conducting a determination of stand position in the forest physiognomy together with a field survey

Reasons for Choosing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council (SGEC) Schemes and the Effects of Certification Acquisition by Forestry Enterprises in Japan

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council (SGEC) are deployed as forest certification schemes in Japan. This study aimed to identify the reasons that enterprises choose the FSC or the SGEC scheme and the effects of certification. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 126 forestry enterprises with certification as of May 2014. The results of questionnaire tabulation found different reasons for choosing FSC (high reliability of the international certification system) or SGEC (examination costs and difficulty of acquisition, certification acquisition by neighboring enterprises in the region, and guidance and information from familiar people and enterprises). The results suggest that choosing FSC or SGEC depended on international or domestic emphasis, reliability, cost, and difficulty of acquisition. Both schemes reportedly improved management planning, environmental impact assessments, and monitoring, but increased timber value was not reported. Japanese consumers’ understanding of forest certification should be enhanced and attention to forest management certification in Japan should increase because the SGEC now offers international certification. If SGEC certification is easier to obtain than FSC certification, and FSC is relatively expensive, the SGEC forest area should continue to expand

Estimating Tree Height and Volume Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Photography and SfM Technology, with Verification of Result Accuracy

This study aimed to investigate the effects of differences in shooting and flight conditions for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on the processing method and estimated results of aerial images. Forest images were acquired under 80 different conditions, combining various aerial photography methods and flight conditions. We verified errors in values measured by the UAV and the measurement accuracy with respect to tree height and volume. Our results showed that aerial images could be processed under all the studied flight conditions. However, although tree height and crown were decipherable in the created 3D model in 64 conditions, they were undecipherable in 16. The standard deviation (SD) in crown area values for each target tree was 0.08 to 0.68 m2. UAV measurements of tree height tended to be lower than the actual values, and the RMSE (root mean square error) was high (5.2 to 7.1 m) through all the 64 modeled conditions. With the estimated volume being lower than the actual volume, the RMSE volume measurements for each flight condition were from 0.31 to 0.4 m3. Therefore, irrespective of flight conditions for UAV measurements, accuracy was low with respect to the actual values

Guidelines used in Japan to prevent the contamination of feed products with undesirable substances

As Japan depends on imports for most ingredients used to manufacture feed products, close co-operation is indispensable between importers and manufacturers of feed and feed ingredients to effectively mitigate the risk associated with feed safety. Guidelines were issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in March 2008 to prevent feed products from being contaminated with undesirable substances. These guidelines identify the responsibilities of feed ingredient importers, feed manufacturers and distributors, as well as the roles of the MAFF and the Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Centre