Hay fever-fighting rice to be part of Japan’s economic stimulus

Japan is set to financially support the development of a genetically modified rice that can alleviate hay fever symptoms when consumed as part of economic stimulus measures being drawn up, government sources said Thursday.

The government aims to commence clinical trials of the transgenic rice, which will be powdered and processed into tablets or capsules, in fiscal 2024, with plans to commercialize the drug within the next 10 years, the sources said.

Since fiscal 2000, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has been working on developing the rice produced by genetically modifying ...