Overview
- MAFF moved the review of a U.S. request into the final negotiation stage in September and in early October is holding technical and diplomatic talks on specific phytosanitary conditions.
- Officials say a faster U.S. response on requested measures could cut the final decision timeline to about one year if agreed controls are quickly implemented and verified.
- The main scientific worry is potato cyst nematodes, a soil parasite that can survive for decades and has caused long cultivation bans in Hokkaido after past outbreaks.
- Proposed safeguards under discussion include limits to verified pest-free U.S. production regions and mandated heat treatments, but farmers and local quarantine authorities question how effective and enforceable those steps would be.
- The issue carries political weight because the Trump administration and U.S. trade officials are pressing Japan to accelerate access for exporters, and producers warn cheaper imports and possible diversion of table potatoes into seed use could sharply harm Hokkaido growers.