[Claim 1] A method for producing objective RNA, the method comprising:
culturing a coryneform bacterium having an expression unit for the objective RNA in a medium, to express the objective RNA and ac-cumulate the objective RNA in cells of the bacterium; and collecting the objective RNA from the cells, wherein the bacterium has been modified so that the activity of ri-bonuclease III is reduced as compared with a non-modified strain.
[Claim 2] The method according to claim 1, wherein the ribonuclease III is a
protein defined in (a), (b), or (c) mentioned below:
(a) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 52;
(b) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 52, but which includes substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of 1 to 10 amino acid residues, and having ribonuclease III activity;
(c) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence showing an identity of 90% or higher to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 52, and having ribonuclease III activity.
[Claim 3] The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the activity of ri-
bonuclease III is reduced by attenuating the expression of a gene encoding ribonuclease III, or by disrupting the gene.
[Claim 4] The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the activity
of ribonuclease III is reduced by deletion of a gene encoding ri-bonuclease III.
[Claim 5] The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the
bacterium has the expression unit at a copy number of 5 copies/cell or more.
[Claim 6] The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the
bacterium has the expression unit at a copy number of 70 copies/cell or more.
[Claim 7] The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the
bacterium has a vector containing the expression unit.
[Claim 8] The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the ex-
pression unit contains a promoter sequence that functions in the coryneform bacterium and a nucleotide sequence encoding the objective RNA in the direction from 5' to 3'.
[Claim 9] The method according to claim 8, wherein the promoter sequence is a
promoter derived from a phage.

[Claim 10] The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the promoter sequence
is Fl promoter or T7 promoter.
[Claim 11] The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the
promoter sequence is a promoter defined in (a) or (b) mentioned below:
(a) a promoter comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13 or 78;
(b) a promoter comprising an nucleotide sequence showing an identity of 90% or higher to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13 or 78.
[Claim 12] The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the
bacterium is a bacterium belonging to the genus Corynebacterium.
[Claim 13] The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the
bacterium is Corynebacterium glutamicum.