It was in the 1960s that hay fever caused by common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) was first reported in Japan. Since then, the prevalence of pollen allergy has grown year by year to such an extent that it is now called the “national disease” of Japan. The most common form of the disease is Japanese cedar pollinosis, from which approximately 40% of the Japanese population suffers. However, as Japanese cedar——also known by its Japanese name, sugi——is a resource essential to Japan's daily life and the conservation of its land, the Forestry Agency has been endeavoring to develop low-pollen varieties of the tree. Now, thanks to genome editing technology, improvements aimed at creating a variety that produces no pollen at all are progressing. There are high hopes that humans and sugi trees might be able to coexist.

Various attempts to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions are underway. One such effort that has long been the focus of attention is biomanufacturing, which leverages biotechnology and uses bioresources as basic ingredients, rather than relying on fossil resources. However, finding microorganisms that are suitable for use is difficult and the path to commercialization has been a long one. Now, though, cutting-edge technologies in the form of AI and genome editing are reducing that distance. Scientists say that it is possible to efficiently produce various synthetic chemical compounds without fossil resources by using genome editing technology to modify microorganisms according to designs created by AI.

Cellular immunotherapy is showing promise as a new form of treatment that inhibits the various functions of cancer cells that enable them to evade the human immune system. In particular, thanks to improvements aided by the latest genome editing technology, CAR-T/TCR-T cell therapy is attracting attention as a treatment offering a decisive advantage against refractory cancer. However, as the cellular drugs covered by insurance are manufactured overseas, they have an extremely high price tag, making their widespread use among cancer patients impractical. Scientists say that the development of Japan's own new generic technologies and license protection that do not rely on overseas intellectual property will need to be facilitated at the level of national government.

Genome editing is a technology for manipulating genes by specifically cutting a target DNA sequence with the aid of a DNA cleavage enzyme. Unlike genetic recombination , which involves inserting exogenous genes, genome editing is regarded as a comparatively safe means of modifying an organism's genes and has become prevalent in a variety of fields. What has made this advance possible is an innovative genome editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9. The scientists who developed it were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020. This tool has now opened up a wide range of possibilities for “manufacturing” that would be impossible without genome editing technology.

Marine forests filled with numerous seaweed species stretch along the Japanese coast. Known in Japan as the “cradle of the sea,” for the role they play in nurturing fish and shellfish, these beds of marine plants have now become the focus of attention as blue carbon ecosystems capable of absorbing and storing atmospheric CO₂. One project currently underway aims to tap into blue carbon ecosystems as CO₂ sinks, while also furthering the development of the fisheries industry. Hopes are growing that this measure to tackle global warming will succeed in Japan, given the nation's culinary culture of eating seaweed and abundant scientific knowledge of these marine plants.

Sea temperatures are rising. Japanese coastal waters in particular have seen a rise of 1.28°C over the last 100 years, which is around double the increase of 0.61°C in the global average. The habitats of a variety of marine organisms have changed over this period, and the conventional ecosystem balance is breaking down. Climate change is thought to be a factor in this, but the precise reasons are still unclear at this stage. However, using environmental DNA microanalysis, it has become possible to gain an accurate understanding of current ecosystems without capturing living creatures. By learning what kinds of organisms inhabit Japanese coastal waters, we will be able to make the coastal fisheries industry more efficient.

The growth of paddy rice is affected by meteorological phenomena. Both 2023 and 2024 have seen high temperatures of a kind expected to occur just once in 30 years, resulting in rice supply shortages that have been dubbed the “Reiwa no Kome-sodo (rice shortage),” likening the situation to unrest caused by similar shortages in previous centuries. High temperatures caused by the effects of global warming are forecast to lead to further decline in both yield and quality in years to come. Combined with the impact of higher CO₂ concentrations, which are also said to be a factor in global warming, it seems likely that the deterioration in yields and quality will become even more serious than conventional projections suggest. Response measures are, however, progressing, including the development of heat-tolerant rice cultivars, and efforts to shed light on climate change processes to facilitate accurate forecasting of growth and yield.

Human activities have caused global warming via the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). That is now an unequivocal fact. And humankind is suffering the consequences of its own actions in the form of climate change caused by global warming. This warming is escalating rapidly on land, with serious impacts on food production. Japan imports at least 50% of its food. In short, what this means is that the countries producing our food are emitting GHGs attributable to agriculture for Japan's sake. To take steps to combat climate change, we must start by understanding this background and learning about the environmental burdens arising from daily life.

Catechins are a type of polyphenol found in abundance in green tea and are also the principal component of its astringent taste. Green tea has been regarded as good for one's health for centuries. Recent studies have scientifically demonstrated the powerful antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties of catechins, and they have come to be used in a diverse array of medical treatments. Various other efficacies have also been reported, such as demonstrating anti-arteriosclerotic properties, improving lipid abnormalities, reducing visceral fat, and inhibiting rises in blood glucose levels and blood pressure. As such, they seem likely to be effective in preventing lifestyle diseases. One cannot help but say that green tea is a genuine superfood.

Less than 10% of polyphenols are absorbed in the small intestine, with the vast majority moving into the colon. The potential for polyphenols to have a direct effect on metabolism is therefore low; scientists think that gut bacterial activity changes the structure of polyphenols, turning them into potent active substances with new functions. At the same time, scientists have discovered that polyphenols also have an effect on gut bacteria. Phenols produced by gut bacteria are the root cause of diseases including uremia, diabetes, and diabetic kidney disease, but scientists say polyphenols can regulate them. Attention is now focusing on the interaction between polyphenols and gut microbes.