In government import standards are established to the health theory, and safety of citizens. In reality, such standards are often used to restrict or ban imported goods. For example Japan used to ban the importation of nearly all U.S. the cost of Japanese apples. Ostensibly, the ban was to apples, which are one-third t prevent transmission of fire blight bacteria to Japanese apple orchards, but research d products conducted joint by Us. And Japanese scientists does not support Japan's assertion that mature, symptomless apples can transmit" the fire blight bacteria.12 The Japanese government was actually using this government import standard to protect the economic health of its apple farmers rather than the biological health of its apple orchards. Only after the World Trade Organization ruled that there was no scientific basis for the ban did Japan allow us. Apples to be imported without restrictions.