JAPAN

Farmers Sue Over Apple Imports: A group of five Japanese growers demanded in a lawsuit that the Tokyo government withdraw its earlier decision to lift a ban on apple imports from the United States. The farmers allege that the government has not taken adequate precautions against the spread of fire blight, a disease affecting apples in the United States. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries decided in August to lift the ban after a bitter dispute over quarantine standards, which some claimed were a thinly disguised trade ban.After making inspections, Japan determined that U.S. apples were safe.