Historical development of pesticides in Japan

Abstract

This paper aims to provide an overview of the history and development of pesticides in Japan, following a study by the author on the role of pesticides, their impact on society and the establishment and development of the pesticide industry in Japan. Pesticides in Japan can be traced back to 1600. A document from this era, entitled Family Traditions on the Killing of Insects, records that noxious insects can be exterminated using a mixture of five types of ingredients. Researchers have also discovered that in 1670, whale oil was poured onto fields as a method of exterminating leafhoppers. These examples indicate the beginning of pest control in Japan. Up until the mid-19 th century, these primitive types of pest control were the only methods used in Japan; they were accompanied by mushi-oi-prayers to ward off insects. An industry eventually started to develop in the late 19 th century, when various products began to be introduced from overseas, such as lime sulphur, Bordeaux mixture and other copper agents as well as pyrethrum insect powder, nicotine and other natural products. Arsenic compounds and chlorpicrin became industrialised in the early 20 th century; by the 1930s, a good foundation had been laid for the pesticide industry. However, the outbreak of war interrupted the progress of technology in Japan. Research and development continued in the West on new synthetic pesticides, even in wartime. While Japan lagged behind in its technological developments, it was not long after the introduction of DDT, BHC, parathion and other synthetic pesticides that it started producing similar products domestically. By the 1950s, an industry had developed, with synthetic pesticides not only being produced by dedicated pesticide manufacturers, but also by specialised chemical companies. Agricultural production improved greatly as a result of the superior performance of these synthetic pesticides. In the late 19 th century, paddy rice typically yielded around 250 kg per 10 ares; by the 1960s, this figure had increased to more than 400 kg. The current figure is more than 500 kg. By the 1960s, Japanese companies were already competent enough to develop their own new pesticides. MAS, the first domestically-produced fungicide, hit the markets in 1959, followed by MAF, an improved version, two years later and then MEP, an insecticide. Other major pesticides also emerged, such as cartap, an insecticide, blasticidin, an antibiotic, IBP, benthiocarb, a herbicide, and giberellin, a plant growth regulator. However, a number of social problems arose during this time, as parathion and other chemicals were highly toxic to mammals, organomercury compounds were highly residual and other chemicals such as PCP were highly toxic to fish. By the 1970s, Japan's period of rapid economic growth had come to an end and the country was experiencing a time of stable growth. While the pesticide industry also continued to grow during this time, it underwent dramatic changes. The Agricultural Chemicals Regulation Act was amended in 1971, adding "protecting human health and conservation of living environment" as considerations to ensure "safety of use". Long-term toxicity testing and environmental impact evaluation became required practice for registering pesticides. Testing methods became stricter with the introduction of good laboratory practice (GLP) for pesticides. These changes meant that the socially-problematic pesticides of the past were phased out and replaced. Japanese companies continued to develop new chemicals, resulting in the emergence of insecticides fenvalerate, buprofezin and hexythiazox, fungicides thiofanate-methyl, isoprothiolane and probenazole, and herbicides pyrazolate, sethoxydim and fluazifop-butyl. While the next two decades saw a major paradigm shift in the pesticide industry, it grew to the point where it was turning over more than ¥400 billion in a year. The following is an overview of events from the 1990s to the present day. With the bubble bursting in 1991, the Japanese economy went into a long recession, which continues to this day. This also had a major impact on the pesticide industry, which has had a steady decrease in sales since turning over ¥440 billion in 1996. By 2011, this figure had dropped by around 20% to ¥350 billion. Major overseas players repeatedly ended up in mergers and acquisitions due to the rising cost of research and development and the decreasing success rate. Japan lagged a little behind in this 1 Survey Reports on the Systemization of Technologies; No. 18, March 2013 National Museum of Nature and Science, Japan 2 trend as well, but by the early 21 st century, Japanese companies were consolidating as well. However, even during this time and since, Japanese companies have continued to work on new chemicals. One of the key points of note of this time has been the emergence of ultra-high-performance pesticides. One typical example is the insecticide imidacloprid, a groundbreaking chemical modelled on nicotine, a natural product. Japanese companies also invented a number of compounds similar to the sulfonylurea herbicide produced by Du Pont, which is effective with an ultra-low dosage of several grams to several tens of grams per hectare. Japanese companies have thus continued to create new chemicals with a number of advantages. This report discusses the relevant course of events, the reasons why relatively small-scale Japanese companies have achieved such results, and the future of the industry. Japanese agriculture will never fail while it is surrounded by high-income consumers who make their purchases assured of freshness and high quality. Pesticides are a huge part of this. The hope is that Japanese companies will continue to produce new, world-class chemicals. This study focuses on synthetic pesticides rather than biopesticides, which have been the subject of recent attention.