From September 7 to 25, 2009, U.S. scientists K. Hummer and J. Postman from the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Japanese scientists H. Iketani and H. Imanishi from the Japanese Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries/National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, and Akita Agricultural University collaborated on an expedition to collect temperate fruit genera in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan. An agreement between Japan and the USDA specified the terms of exchange, and materials collected were shared between scientists of both countries.