T he Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

was enacted in 2003 to regulate trans-boundary movement of genetically modified organisms or LMOs (living modi-fied organisms, the legal term defined by the protocol) (1). The Japanese Diet approved a bill that made drastic changes to existing na-tional guidelines to fulfill the requirements of the Cartagena Protocol (2). Ministries as-sociated with aspects of biosafety discussed the bill and its integration with the overall system for environmental and laboratory safety (3), and the Japanese law entered into force in February 2004. This law has made legal procedures more comprehensive and consistent. However, op-erational details have not yet been digested by stakeholders, especially commercial traders and academic researchers. Furthermore, Japan is at a critical stage in dealing with neg-ative public reaction to modern biotechnolo-gy and its products. Under the new law, there are specific le-gal procedures required for exchange of transgenic organisms with Japan. For impor-tation, it is necessary to document prior in-formed consent (PIC) between exporter and importer. The shipment must clearly indicate on the package and in accompanying docu-mentation that transgenic materials are in-cluded. For Japanese scientists, importation of transgenic materials is allowed only after the certification of experiments as safe by the research institution or, if the risk level i