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I. Identification
Markets for U.S. cherry exports to Japan were officially opened in 1972, one year after they
opened for apple exports. Despite numerous efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and U.S. cherry growers, cherries were not imported by Japan until six years later, 1978.
The importation by Japan of cherries was the first time the Japanese agreed to import a fruit that
was a host of codling moths. Cherries, like apples, have had to meet a litany of Japanese testing
requirements. The protocol for gaining approval to ship a new fruit to Japan is long and tedious,
involving five to six intensive tests, each of which must be reviewed a Japanese government
official before the next begins. This approval process takes two year and approximately $25,000
for each cherry variety. USDA officials are in ongoing talks trying to induce the Japanese to drop the second
year or "confirmatory" tests, claiming new testing procedures are more than sufficient to meet
Japanese standards. Whether or not U.S. cherry growers may or may not be able to ship
additional varieties and larger quantities of cherries to this lucrative market depends
on the Japanese having confidence in the new proceduers.
Cherry trees have been celebrated throughout history for their deliciously succulent fruit as well
as their beauty. In fact, cherries are said to date as far back as 300 b.c. and were named after the
Turkish town of Cerasus.
Japanese reticence to import cherries has stemmed from a concern similar to any other fruit
imported from the U.S. The concern has been and is one over pests being imported in U.S. fruit,
such as codling moths and cherry fruit flies and jeapordizing the crops of Japanese fruit growers.
Initially, it took six years for the U.S. to meet Japan's testing standard even though it the required
postharvest treatment for codling moth was unspecified. Finally, the method used to treat
cherries was one originally devised to treat apples in 1969. By 1978 the Japanese agreed to import,
for the first time, a fruit that was a host of codling moth. This success with cherries sparked
renewed interest in gaining access for apples for which progress was similarly slow (see
APPLECase).
There are more than 300 varieties of cherries grown in the U.S. by [mostly] growers in the
Northwest; California, Oregon and Washington are the largest growers. Japanese growers produce
only a modest amount of cherries for their domestic market each year. The cherries imported from
the U.S. for the Japanese market are usually the large and sweet varieties, Bing cherries are a
popular import. For this reason, Japan is seen as a lucrative buyer of cherries on the world market.
The ease at which U.S. cherry growers can access the Japanese market is at issue. From the U.S.
grower perspective, there are two things that are simply non-tariff barriers (NTB's) dressed up to
appear as something less nefarious: (1) the requirement that each cherry variety undergo two years
of testing and, (2) paying the $25,000 in various fees for required testing and inspections.
Cherry sales in Japan are a fruit marketers dream. As are most fruits in Japan, cherries are
sold for premium prices and are attractivly and individually packaged to maximize their appeal
and price.
Therefore, from a Japanese point of view, more varieties of cherries might be welcome.
Yet, two potential hazards
entreat Japanese caution: (1) the infestation of orchards by new and foreign pests would endanger
island harvests and, (2) over-saturation of Japanese fruit market and possible lost sales of
domestic produce due to the overabundance of cheaper alternatives.
The two largest concerns that the Japanese have, where pests are concerned are the the codling
moth and the cherry fruit fly. The codling moth, Cydia pomonella, is a problem of certain fruit
cultivars the world over. Cultivars that it is a particular threat to include: apples, European and
Asian pears, the Persian walnut and the Japanese plum. Cherries were added to this list for purposes
of enabling U.S. cherry growers to ship to the Japanese market. The cherry fruit fly, R. cingulatta,
is one of two native flies that feed on cultivated cherries in the U.S. and eastern Canada. The cherry fruit
fly is a more aggressive and abundant pest that other types of fruit flies.
This case is a dispute between environmental and non-tariff barrier concerns. It is difficult to
discern whether Japan's concerns stem from a legitimate concern to protect native orchards and
yet it quite simple to conclude that such time and money-consuming requirements are only
another barrier designed to protect domestic fruit growers.
Keyword Clusters
(1) : Trade Product = CHERRY
(2) : Bio-geography = TEMPerate
(3) : Environmental Problem = INFESTation
II. Legal ClustersDiscourse continues over whether or not Japan will be willing to drop its second year testing
requirements. Meetings were held in June of 1997 to begin serious discussion for such a change
in Japan's fruit testing requirements in the case of cherries. At the time of writing, the issue
is still being discussed concurrently with the lowering and/or dropping of requirement for the
exportation of other fruits.
There has been no formal move to take this issue to the World Trade Organization although
such a move has been threatened by the USTR, which supports the claim that such rigorous testing
of additional varieties of cherries may well be charged as a non-tariff trade barrier (NTB).
Northwest growers' associations (see references) have solicited the help of the USTR and the
USDA in its negotiations for reduced testing of U.S. fruit (cherries included) for export to
Japan. According to one association official, cherries are a secondary issue when compared with
apples because there are more apple varities (100+) to be tested than there are cherry varieties
(2-3). According to yet another official, talks are "ongoing," pending the decision by the USTR,
USDA and U.S. fruit growers associations on whether or not file a formal complaint with the WTO.
III. Geographic Clustersa. Geographic Domain: North America [NAMER]
b. Geographic Site: Western North America [WNAMER]
c. Geographic Impact: JAPAN
The species being affected by the trade dispute are those cherries grown in the Pacific Northwest
of the United States. Those cherry varieties currently being exported to the Japanese market include: Bing
(the No.1 variety shipped to Japan), Van, Lambert and Ranier. California and Washington state have
the highest stakes in a possible change of current Japanese restrictive import policies.
The geographic impact of this dispute affects cherry growing regions in the American North
West and has the potential to adversely impact fruit-growing regions of Japan. Those regions
growing cherries for export to Japan are grown under rigorous specification to circumvent the
spread of fruit-born, non-native pests to Japanese fruit orchards. Cherry-born codling moths and
cherry fruit flies are the two pests which are of most concern to Japanese fruit growers.
Sweet cherry trees are more sensitive to extremes of climate so they are raised primarily in
areas of mild weather. In the U.S. these temperate areas include: the Pacific coast, the Hudson
Valley and the Lake Michigan region. Conditions similar to this appear consistently in those
areas in Japan where cherries are grown.
IV. Trade ClustersThe type of trade measure in this case is a regulatory standard whereby the Japanese insist that certain rigorous procedures be successfully carried out in order to enable growers to ship their cherries to Japan.
The procedures that must be carried out in order for growers to ship their cherries to Japan include:
Non-tariff trade barries (NTB) hinder the ability of U.S. cherry growers to [potentially] export
to Japan. Cherries in Japan are sold at exorbitant sums to consumers who expect to pay
high prices for high quality fruit.
a. Directly Related to Product: YES CHERRY
b. Indirectly Related to Product: NO
c. Not Related to Product: NO
d. Related to Process: YES INFESTation
Objections to U.S. cherries by the Japanese were not to cherries per se, but to the pest they may
contain. Pests like the codling moth (mentioned in Section 9), though not native to the cherry,
have the potential for infestation.
Japan imported 16,318 boxes from the U.S. in 1996, mostly California and Washington state,
accounting for roughly $86 million in sales generated as of December.
V. Environment ClustersName: Cherry
Cherries are the fruit of certain species of trees belonging to the genus Prunus in the rose family, Rosaceae. Cherries are native to Europe, Asia, and North America and more than 1,000 varieties are grown in the U.S. alone. The most widely cultivated varieties are: sweet cherries, most of which are sold fresh or canned, and sour cherries, which are processed for pie filling and jams and jellies.
Cherries are globular smooth-skinned fruits with a single pit, and rang from 6 to 25 millimeters in diameter. Most cultivated cherries are bright red in color when ripe.
Type: Plant/Dicot
IUCN: VULNERable
The Bing
cherry (see left) is the No.1 Northwest variety exported to Japan. It is grown predominately
along the west coast of the United States in Washington, Oregon and California. Among the other
varieties approved for export are: Van, Lambert and Ranier. Steps are currently being taken to
enable the export of Chelan and Lapin varieties into Japan. This is viewed as an important step
by U.S. exporters because it would widen the current marketing window to Japan, which typically
begins in early June and terminates the end of July.
VI. Other FactorsOne exception to this might be the cherry presentation as well as processing. Japanese insist that their cherries be absolutely clean (in addition to pest free), but they also expect them to be individually packaged. The market in the United States buys loose cherries and, while expecting them to be reasonably clean, do not insist that such extreme measures of pulcritude take place before U.S. consumers get them to their respective homes or processing plants.
Two years later, 3,020 cherry trees (12 varieties) were shipped from Yokohama to Seattle, arriving in Washington on March 26, 1912. They began planting on March 27, initiating what is now Washington's annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
The case is similar to that of the Japanese chestnut brought to the U.S. at about the same
time as the cherry trees. The chestnut trees brought with them a blight that nearly wiped out
the American chest.
