Japan Suspends Imports After Modified Wheat Found Japan has suspended some imports of U.S. wheat after a genetically engineered version of the grain was found on a U.S. farm. The Agriculture Department announced the discovery of the modified wheat on Wednesday. No genetically engineered wheat has been approved for U.S. farming. Japan is one of the largest export markets for U.S. wheat growers. Katsuhiro Saka, a counselor at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, said Thursday that Japan had canceled orders of western white wheat from the Pacific Northwest and also of some feed-grade wheat. He said the country was waiting for more information from the Agriculture Department as it investigates the discovery. "In most countries the unapproved genetically modified wheat would be a target of concern," Saka said. The Japanese people have similar kinds of concerns. USDA officials said the wheat was the same strain as a genetically modified wheat that was designed to be herbicide-resistant and was legally tested by seed giant Monsanto a decade ago but never approved. Monsanto stopped testing that product in Oregon and several other states in 2005. The Agriculture Department said the genetically engineered wheat is safe to eat and there is no evidence that modified wheat entered the marketplace. But the department is investigating how it ended up in the field, whether there was any criminal wrongdoing and whether its growth is widespread. The mystery could have implications on the wheat trade in the U.S. and abroad, as evidenced by Japan's suspension of imports on Thursday. Many countries around the world will not accept imports of genetically modified foods, and the United States exports about half of its wheat crop. Japan imports 90 percent of its wheat, or about 5 million metric tons annually, including 3 million metric tons from the U.S., according to Toru Hisazome, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture in Tokyo. Japan, which bans the import of genetically modified foods, suspended a tender for 25,000 metric tons of western white wheat, mainly used in Japan for making cakes, he said. "We don't have the exact information from the U.S. side yet," Hisazome said. Import orders for other types of U.S. wheat would not be affected, he said. South's Korea agriculture ministry said it will increase inspections of wheat imported from the U.S. American consumers also have shown increasing interest in avoiding genetically modified foods. There has been little evidence to show that foods grown from engineered seeds are less safe than their conventional counterparts, but several state legislatures are considering bills that would require them to be labeled so consumers know what they are eating. While most of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States are already modified, the country's wheat crop is not. Many wheat farmers have shown reluctance to use genetically engineered seeds since their product is usually consumed directly, while much of the corn and soybean crop is used as feed. The modified wheat was discovered when field workers at an Eastern Oregon wheat farm were clearing acres for the bare offseason when they came across a patch of wheat that didn't belong. The workers sprayed it and sprayed it, but the wheat wouldn't die. Their confused boss grabbed a few stalks and sent it to a university lab in early May.