Corn imported from the United States for animal feed appears to contain a genetically modified variety banned in Japan, farm ministry officials said Monday.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said 10 of 15 samples recently tested appear to contain StarLink, a domestically banned variety of corn containing a germ-killing gene that can cause allergic reactions in humans because it is slow to break down in the body.
The ministry said it will announce its final test results later this week.
The ministry started screening U.S. corn for StarLink after a consumer group said it had detected the genetically modified corn in a food product being sold in Japanese supermarkets.
Japan suspended U.S. corn imports after the complaint but quickly resumed them after the U.S. pledged to screen shipments for the presence of StarLink.