A controversial American biologist who plans to clone humans announced yesterday he is setting up a base in Japan, where laws do not prohibit such research. Mr Richard Seed, a Harvard graduate who believes cloning will make man immortal and closer to God, revealed he has located a site and partial funding for an animal cloning laboratory and a fertility clinic.
The two facilities are seen as a stepping stone towards human cloning, which Mr Seed - an expert in the field for more than three decades - claims is possible within two years.
Described by former colleagues as brilliant but slightly crazy, Mr Seed caused an uproar at the start of this year when he first announced plans to clone himself. In response to the ethical concerns raised during the debate in the US, President Clinton announced a five-year moratorium on human cloning. The EU has also issued a charter banning research in this field.