Japanese local farmers go online to sell direct overseas buyers

TOKYO, June 23 — Japan’s agriculture ministry has launched an online shopping site that connects local growers and food makers with overseas buyers directly. In January, the ministry set up the site “Washoku Treasure,” named after the traditional Japanese cuisine, a site that specializes in Japanese-grown foods. It will soon update the site, including simplifying the payment. The site gives overseas restaurant chefs and buyers a way to search for food produced in Japan and buy it directly from Japanese farmers and food makers. In essence, it’s a virtual market with Japanese local foods for sale, from produce to meat to seafood. Japanese growers create lists describing what they’re selling; … Continue reading

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The nightmare remains – July 2018 torrential rain and floods in western Japan

EHIME, OKAYAMA, HIROSHIMA, July 14 – Several consecutive days of torrential rain that hit large parts of western Japan in July caused floods and landslides in a number of areas, with the death toll topping 200 in 14 prefectures. Farmlands and agricultural facilities were severely damaged, with floods killing crops and slopes with fruit trees collapsing. The extent of damage to agriculture is yet to be fully grasped.

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Canada relaxes phytosanitary requirement for Japanese apples

TOKYO, June 9 — For Japanese apple growers, the Canadian door finally opened. Canada has relaxed stringent requirements for imported apples, such as mandatory production methods and disinfection, as long as apple growers meet certain conditions, the Japanese agriculture ministry said on June 8. Technically, Japanese growers can ship apples to Canada, but have not done so since 1998 due to Ottawa’s phytosanitary restrictions. Japan exported apples last in 1997 at merely 4 metric tons. Since 2016, Japanese officials have been engaged in intense negotiations to get the requirements to be relaxed. Currently, apples account for about 50 percent of Japan’s total fruit exports. The major destination is Taiwan, accounting … Continue reading

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Japan to export fresh beef to Argentina in July for the first time

TOKYO, June. 30 — Argentina has officially opened its meat market to Japanese fresh beef, giving Japan a boost to agricultural export ambitions. Shipments of eligible Japanese beef have been allowed to enter Argentina without any age limit conditions, the Japanese agriculture ministry said on June 29. Japan will likely export fresh beef to Argentina for the first time in its history as early as July. The South American country is the world’s No. 6 beef supplier and Argentineans consume almost six times as much beef per person as people in Japan. Japanese beef is seen as a key agricultural export, so the government considers market access progress on beef … Continue reading

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Digital rice field appears in Tokyo and interacts with audience

TOKYO, June 22 — A rice paddy field appears across the floor. You touch it with the scenery changing constantly. But the scenery is an illusion — a digital exhibit at a new interactive museum in Tokyo. The digital rice field is one of artworks created by the teamLAb, a group of Japanese ultra-technologist, known for their digital art that combines projections, sound and spaces. The teamLAb have opened a full-scale digital art museum at the Mori Building in Tokyo’s Odaiba. The museum features multiple 3-dimensional spaces set across 10,000 square meters. The exhibits are designed to flow into one another and interact with each other and visitors.

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