【Research】Year 2016 Marks a Turnaround for Japan’s Financial Policy — Highlights of Japanese retail investors’ markets

January 1st, 2017 Norinchukin Research Institute Co., Ltd. SHIGETO Yukari, Senior Chief Researcher ■Abstract The Bank of Japan (BOJ) made an unprecedented move towards negative interest rates in January 2016 in an attempt to invigorate the economy. This caused Japan’s household financial assets to dip 0.4% in March from a year earlier, their first decline since September 2009. They fell a further 1.7% in June, accelerating the pace of decline. The introduction of negative interest rates also eroded Japanese banks’ profitability from lending and investing in securities. In the first half of fiscal 2016, 47 out of 64 regional banks reported declines in net income, and 38 of them recorded … Continue reading

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Japan’s imports of processed chicken products increasing at record pace

TOKYO, Sept. 17 – Japan’s imports of processed chicken products, such as cooked chicken skewers, are rising at record pace this year, according to the Finance Ministry’s trade statistics. The statistics show the total amount of processed chicken imports in the period between January and July was nearly 10 percent more than the record highest volume posted in the same period in 2012, helped by increasing imports from Thailand. The imports were boosted by growing demand in the prepared foods industry, including food products sold at convenience stores, backed by rising health awareness among consumers. Domestic producers are also expanding their production, but have not been able to catch up … Continue reading

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Japan sets ambitious goal to quadruple rice exports by 2019

TOKYO, Sept. 8 — The agriculture ministry has set up an ambitious goal to quadruple Japanese rice exports in two years, at a time when the Japanese consumption of the staple food has continued sliding. Agriculture Minister Ken Saito announced Japan aims to increase annual rice exports to 100,000 metric tons by 2019. “The objective is to shore up rice farmers’ incomes,” he said at a press conference on Sept. 8. Last year Japan exported a total of 24,000 tons of rice; 10,000 tons of rice as a staple food and 14,000 tons of rice for processed products such as rice crackers and sake. The ministry is now encouraging Japanese rice … Continue reading

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Wagyu beef feeders compete in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, to win title of best beef in Japan

The 11th National Competitive Exhibition of Wagyu (Japanese beef cattle) was held during five days from September 7th to 11th in Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture. 513 heads of bulls and cows from 39 prefectures participated in the quinquennial competition, where prefectures compete with pride and confidence in the shapes and the meat quality of their best wagyu. The judges this year gave the grand prize to Kagoshima Prefecture, which is the host of the next national exhibition. The venue also had booths for visitors to try beef from across the country and attracted 417,000 visitors in 5 days.

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The United States to allow imports of persimmons from Japan

TOKYO, Sept. 13 – The United States government has agreed to allow imports of fresh persimmons from Japan, Japan’s agriculture ministry announced Tuesday. The two governments reached consensus on necessary phytosanitary requirements, including appropriate pest control. Shipments of persimmons that meet the requirements are likely to start as early as this year. Japan had long been asking the U.S. to lift its import ban on Japan-grown persimmons. The U.S. government had been refusing to do so, citing insufficient pest control, but has judged the necessary conditions are met. The U.S. requires that persimmons to be imported from Japan be produced at farms which are registered at plant protection stations with … Continue reading

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