Expanded protection under amendment to Japan’s Plant Variety Protection and Seed Act effective April 1, 2021

A new amendment to the Japanese Plant Variety Protection and Seed Act (the “PVR Act”) was passed in December 2020 and came into effect on April 1, 2021 expanding the scope of plant breeders’ rights. The amended PVR Act affords greater protection to plant breeder right holders with respect to the exportation of plant materials of a registered variety used to propagate the variety, such as seeds or graft woods. The amendment also introduces a new system under which the production areas of registered varieties can be limited to designated areas within Japan.