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Biotechnology
in Japan 1990's
/ 2000's 
The high
humidity of Japanese climate encourages the development of
micro-organisms and fuels the manufacturing techniques
related to these, such as fermentation. One would
understand better in this way why fermentation has for a
long time been a process for the preservation and production
of traditional foodstuffs in Japan.
One may name as
examples sake (rice wine), shoyu (soya sauce),
miso ( soyabean paste) and natto (fermented
beans).
After World War
2 , the Japanese were introduced to production techniques of
penicillin by the Americans. In 1956, Dr Kinoshita
discovered a bacteria called Coryne bacterium, devoid
of membrane, allowing the passage of amino acids and mainly
glutamic acid. (Remember that glutamic acid gives meat
its flavor and that it is very much used in the food
industry and Chinese cuisine).
With the sowing
of choice microbial stumps, the “art and craft” of the past
is passed on to the industrial stage. In the
manufacture of
miso, bacteria like Pediococcus Halophilus and
Streptococcus Faecalis are used most. In the case of
sake, Rhizobus, a filamentous fungus, produces malic
acid to give sake its flavour. Natto bacillus
aids in the manufacture of natto.
The
fermentation industry (fermented foodstuffs, drinks, amino
acids, antibiotics, nucleotides) make up 5% of Japan’s GNP
(gross national product). Among these fermented
foodstuffs, very few dairy products can be found (butter,
yoghurt, cheese), which is a discernible difference from
that of the EEC. Conversely, beer is the first choice
with regard to traditional rice-based beverages (a ratio of
25 : 1). Japan produces more than three-quarters of
the world’s production of amino acids, and is also the
leader in antibiotics.
Japanese
researchers proved to be as efficient in the enzymatic
engineering domain. In 1969, Dr Chibata perfected the
first application of an immobilized enzyme (aminoacylase
fastened to resin), transforming a racemic solution of
amino acids to L-amino acids (only the L-amino acids have
biological activity for man and animals). This reaped
a 60% profit over the classic process.
Fermentation
and enzymatic engineering can be regrouped under the more
general term “biotechnology”. The "DGRST" defines
biotechnology as the industrial exploitation of the
potentialities of micro-organisms, animal and vegetable
cells and sub-cellular fractions.
MITI declared
1981 “ The Year of the Biotechnology ” and created the
Association for Research in Biotechnology. It also
launched 3 projects about biocaptors, genetic recombinations
and cell cultures on a large scale. One can recall
that biotechnology can be categorised as “conventional
biotechnology” (fermentation, enzymatic reactions) and
“advanced biotechnology”, more recent (DNA recombination,
cell fusion, bioreactor). USA paled in comparison with
Japan in the advanced biotechnology domain, in particular,
genetic engineering.
Many
associations and committees were created as much at the
industrial and governmental level as at the regional level,
according to BIDEC. The Japanese firms who are the
nerve centre of research were numerous in response to this
surge, sometimes from distant horizons such as the
publishing and advertising company Gakken. The
acquisition of know-how is often passed on by joint venture
agreements with American companies.
In1986, the
programmes “Biochips” (fleas in biological elements
constituting computers of the future) and “Human Frontier”,
an international programme based on biotechnology and
preparing a rich and hopeful society for the 21st
century, were launched by MITI.
The Japanese
market increased by 40% every year since 1987 to attain 600
billion yen in 1992. It is the 2nd largest
world market after the US (650 billion yen).
Pharmaceuticals made up more than 50% of the market with
interferons (150b yen), EPO (55b yen), growth hormone (50b
yen), GCSF (40b yen), recombinant human insulin (18.4b yen),
TPA (7.5b yen), Hepatitis B vaccine (2.4b yen). The
biomedicine market represents 5% of the global market and
should reach 20% by the year 2000. The Japanese
medicine market is 4 times larger than the French market.
Alcoholic fermentation and amino acids are worth 3.2b yen,
and there you have food agriculture. Chemistry weighs
88b yen (detergents, soaps, intermediaries for medicine,
antimicrobial agrochemistry). Plants descended of
cellular fusion and the trials of recombinant plants in open
air represent a 40b yen market. Lastly, the equipment
used in biotechnology churns out 70b yen, with a very weak
Japanese competition.
In the
biotechnology domain, the exchange balance is by large, a
deficit for Japan. The patents office invalidated its
examination procedures in the course of revision which began
in 1991 in an attempt to resolve industrial property
problems many Japanese companies were facing. The
regulations were often obsolete and were the objects of
conflicts between ministries which have a say in the matter,
that is, MITI, AST, the Ministry of Education, Health
Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry. For example,
the Health Ministry was in favor of a supplement in the
regulations for the trials in genetic therapy, but came up
against the passive resistance of MITI which sticked to the
recommendations published by OCDE in 86.
The diverse and
varied actors who were thrown into the biotechnology
adventure in the 80's were disengaged, leaving the companies
in direct relation with them (pharmaceutical industry,
chemical and foodstuff agriculture). There had not
been creation of biotechnology companies by capital risk as
in the US, and besides, MITI tries to favour companies of
this type. Nichimen Corporation, an international
commerce company, is among the only ones to have tried the
formula of capital risk, and even then, it was done with an
American lab, Siclone Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Foreign companies (America, German and Swiss) take their
independence with regard to their Japanese partners.
Thus, Amgen created its subsidiary in 1993 and will develop
only one intermediary interferon. Its partner Kirin,
which is one of the only companies to have earned money in
the biopharmacy sector with its two star products EPO and
GCSF, will nonetheless remain Amgen’s associate in the
marketing share for the Chinese market.
Biotechnology
is one of the only sectors not having to endure budget
restrictions. The Research and Development Budget
increased by 10% for 1993 while elsewhere it was merely
50%of the 1990 level.
The share of
research and development allotted to biotechnology by member
enterprises of the JBA doubled in 3 years, passing from 3.4%
to 8% in 1993. The market for biotechnology will
represent 3 trillion yen in 2000.
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