As efforts toward carbon neutrality and CO2 reduction progress in various fields, the momentum for a "green rush" rather than a gold rush is increasing worldwide. This is a movement to expand the industrial use of cannabis, which has traditionally been avoided due to its association with drugs. In Japan, some parts of the Cannabis Control Act will be revised for the first time in XNUMX years. Mie University has begun creating a new base for cannabis research in response to the challenge of passing on divine rituals and traditional culture. We asked Suwabe, Dean of the Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies, who is leading the way, about the impetus and outlook.
What exactly is cannabis?
Cannabis is an annual herb (scientific name: Cannabis sativa L.) belonging to the Cannabis family. It is called hemp in the agricultural field and hemp in the industrial field. Contains physiologically active substances called cannabinoids, which have psychoactive effects using various synthetic enzymes in the plant body, and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is known as the raw material for marijuana, and has no psychoactive effects and is effective in pain relief and stress relief. CBD (cannabidiol) can be synthesized. There are three types: sativa, indica, and ruderalis, and there are differences in THC and CBD content.
Indica varieties generally have the highest THC content. On the other hand, the sativa subspecies, which has been cultivated in Japan since ancient times, has extremely low content. There are also large differences in THC content depending on variety and strain, with THC over 1.0% to 20% being classified as medicinal type, 1.0% to 0.3% as intermediate type, and 0.3% or less as fiber type. Anything less than .1.0% is also called industrial hemp and cannot be used as marijuana raw material. Mushrooms are called poisonous mushrooms and non-poisonous mushrooms, but even cannabis, which does not have such names, has similar differences depending on the type. The cannabis we use in our research is, of course, industrial hemp.
The trigger was a request from Ise.
In Japan, cannabis has played a central role in Shinto rituals and traditional events since ancient times. Its stems have been used for a wide range of purposes, including shrine amulets, shimenawa ropes, Shinto priests' costumes, Yokozuna's cosmetics, the base of cypress bark roofs, gunpowder for fireworks, and torches. The fruit is also used in shichimi chili peppers and inarizushi, and the leaves are popular as traditional patterns.
However, after World War II, this situation changed completely. There are various reasons for this, but after the Cannabis Control Act was enacted, cultivation became subject to a licensing system, and even though the purpose was not to extract narcotic ingredients, it came under strict government supervision.
As a result, in 2022, only 27 domestic farmers will continue to cultivate the rice, and the cultivation area will be as small as 7 ha (see figure below). Originally, there were many varieties depending on the region of production, but currently the only commercial variety is "Tochigishiro" from Tochigi Prefecture (also not available outside Tochigi Prefecture). Naturally, much of the hemp used in Shinto rituals and traditional events must be imported or imitated.
The Isema Promotion Association, an incorporated association made up of companies that support Ise Grand Shrine, voiced its desire to do something about the situation in which even items that are said to have divine benefits are dependent on imports. Isema's hemp is cannabis, and under the association's umbrella is Isema Co., Ltd., one of the licensed cannabis cultivation companies, which has been cultivating it on a small scale.
In 2021, the association requested research cooperation on cannabis cultivation, breeding, breed improvement, component analysis, etc. from our university, which has a research organization for biological resources in the prefecture. This led to the start of the ``Cannabis Research Project'' by industry, government, and academia. Since then, the Graduate School has been the main operating body, and from April 2024, faculties and centers from not only the sciences but also the humanities have come together to establish a university-wide collaborative research system.
Two major projects begin through fusion of fields and collaboration with local communities, industry, government, and academia
One of the projects is to establish an agricultural production base to protect and support the sacred rituals and traditions that inspired it, and to raise social awareness of industrial hemp. It was positioned as a ``research project on divine rituals and industrial hemp.''
As the first step, in April 2023, a collaboration between industry, government, and academia will be held in Meiwa Town, where cannabis has been cultivated since ancient times, at the Saiku (photo below (above)), which is said to be the palace of Saio of Ise Jingu. The ``Amatsu Suga So Project,'' which aims to promote industry, has been launched. This included Meiwa Town, the Isema Promotion Association, five other companies, two organizations, farmers, agricultural corporations, and private universities such as Kogakukan University. In addition, as part of high school-university collaboration, we have started joint research with Mie Prefectural Hisai Agriculture and Forestry High School, and have restored a special seeding machine used for cultivating rituals that was made in the Taisho era and is the only one left in existence. under)】.
Provided by: Meiwa Town, Mie Prefecture
The other pillar is an approach from basic research in biotechnology, biological resources, and agriculture, which is handled by the Cannabis Research Center, one of the university's nine priority research centers. We aim to establish basic research that will form the basis for a wide range of industrial applications of cannabis, including breeding, variety improvement, component analysis, and standardization of toxicity.
We also aim to establish a system for analyzing cannabis components, which can be said to be the basis for ensuring safety and security. Currently, component analysis in Japan relies on sending samples to foreign analytical institutions or importing test reagents owned by American companies, which is expensive and time-consuming. Furthermore, despite the need for rigor, there is no official analysis center. Therefore, a component analyzer used as an international standard was introduced to our university in March 2024. There are very strict screening criteria for the introduction of this analyzer, and the one introduced at our university is the first in Japan. We would like to take advantage of this analyzer and our position as a national university, and aim to establish a nationally recognized analysis center as soon as possible.
In terms of industrial applications, in addition to medical use, hemp seed nuts and hemp seed oil have been commercialized with active ingredients for health and beauty, but new findings such as application to sleep-related supplements are emerging. I would like to pursue various possibilities while incorporating the following.
Cannabis, an annual plant, is said to have the best ability to absorb CO2 among many plants, and it is necessary to establish cultivation techniques, improve varieties, and develop new varieties through traditional breeding and crop science. This alone contributes to carbon neutrality and CO2 reduction. There are also growing expectations for its use as a biofuel, and we would like to actively promote industry-academia collaboration with related companies.
In the field of engineering, stem fibers are as rigid as carbon fibers, yet are lightweight, so they are beginning to be used in Europe as a material for car body parts, replacing glass fibers and metals. In this field, we would like to strengthen industry-academia collaboration by collaborating with the Energy Materials Research Center, an outstanding research center.
Because the project has just begun, and Japan has a research gap of more than 70 years, there are many fields that are unknown to those in charge, and there are many cases where they have to grope their way forward. However, around the world, significant progress has been made in reviewing regulations and amending laws regarding industrial hemp, and the hurdles to handling it have been lowered significantly. We would like to steadily advance this project step by step, starting with the purpose of preserving Shinto rituals and traditions, and expanding to contributing to the local community and even creating new industries.
What is the Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies?
《In the real world, we need ``research and development personnel who can do project management'' who can discover social issues on their own, think for themselves, and act with conviction based on their specialized knowledge, and ``who can create something from scratch in the region.'' A graduate school that integrates humanities and sciences (engineering, biotechnology, humanities and social studies), was established in 2009 with the aim of developing human resources who become social entrepreneurs. Faculty members come from various departments. In addition to the three education and research units of ``Engineering'', ``Bioscience'', and ``Society'', there is also the ``Regional New Creation Unit'', which is a fusion type of humanities and sciences that carries out interdisciplinary research.
In addition to R&D (Research and development) teachers who are in charge of specialized education, we also offer a ``sandwich method education'' where you can receive guidance from PM (Project Management) teachers who are in charge of project management education, and especially collaboration with local companies. It is characterized by OPT (On the Project Training) education, which teaches about project management in research. In addition, full-scale ``internship training'' is offered as a compulsory subject in the master's program, and a core laboratory is also set up as a place to realize social collaboration [Photo].
Starting in 2020, a new educational course called the "Regional Revitalization Innovator Training Program" will be introduced to train Regional Revitalization Innovators (RRI), and those who complete it will be certified. Also in the same year, the regular master's course in regional innovation studies was adopted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as a ``Professional Practical Skills Development Program'' (BP). The door is open to working adults, and in 2021 it will be designated as a specialized practical education and training course designated by the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, eligible for the specified education and training benefit system.
Dean of the Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies and Professor of the Faculty of Bioresources, Mie University Graduate School
Mr. Keita Suwabe
Completed master's program at Mie University Graduate School of Bioresources in 2000, received Ph.D. (academic) in 2004. April 2006-March 4 Marie Curie Fellow at the John Innes Center in the UK, April 2007-January 3 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellow (PD), February 2007 ~March 4 Associate Professor, Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, current position from April 2009. His specialty is molecular genetic breeding. He graduated from Mie Prefectural Tsunishi High School.
