Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

【News】 NMR scanner developed to measure level of marbling in beef cattle (July 9, 2015)

  The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology said it has developed the world’s first proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scanner to measure the amount of marbling in live beef cattle. The scanner sends radio wave signals to the bodies of the live animals and quantify the level of marbling in about 10 seconds based on water and fat content. The scanner enables better evaluation of beef cattle pricing by presenting objective data to describe their meat quality, and can also be used to diagnose diseases in cattle, the institute said. The device, which was created by using an NMR scanner used to scan concrete buildings without destroying … Continue reading

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【Opinion】 Yoshio Yaguchi ; Ensuring democracy in rural villages necessary for sustainable society (July 7, 2015)

  As an agricultural economist, I have thought about how to maintain sustainability of a society. Looking back at the history from this viewpoint, I think there were two major turning points in Japan after the end of World War II. The first one came in the early years of the 1970s, when the Japanese economy suffered stagflation (inflation amid economic stagnation) caused by oil shocks. To cope with the situation, the government introduced market fundamentalism and shifted to allow for freer economic activities, prompting agriculture to go through major reform as well. Being born into a farming family and brought up in a rural village, I have witnessed Japan’s … Continue reading

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【News】 Japan and Vietnam reach basic agreement on TPP (July 6, 2015)

  Japan and Vietnam have reached basic agreement regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, including maintaining Japan’s tariffs on rice, it was learned Saturday, July 4. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung said after meeting in Tokyo that they agreed to declare the fundamental completion of Vietnam-Japan negotiations on the TPP talks. They said the two sides will spare no effort to deal with some remaining technical issues for an early conclusion of the TPP negotiations in the time ahead. According to negotiation sources, as for the controversial issue of rice, the two nations agreed that Japan will assist Vietnam in spreading cultivation techniques which … Continue reading

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【News】 Keep colorful Okinawa culture alive for ever (July 5, 2015)

Kotaro Yamada –  Ryukyu bingata dyed textile (Okinawa Prefecture)  – Bingata is a traditional Okinawan dyeing technique with a history of nearly 700 years.  Local artisans draw pictures in vivid warm colors mainly on silk or cotton textiles, often using stencil papers with patterns cut out by hand. The tradition came out of the fateful crisis of war damages during the World War ll and is inherited by the local people with handcrafting skills. Bingata uses mineral and botanical pigments to dye textiles in distinctive colors. The dyed products are used to make kimonos and obi (Japanese sashes) as well as furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth), noren (Japanese short split curtains) … Continue reading

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【News】 Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives chooses Choe Okuno as new president (July 3, 2015)

The Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) decided on Thursday, June 2, to name Choe Okuno as its new president. Okuno, 68, chief of the prefectural union of agricultural co-ops in Mie Prefecture, was picked as a result of voting by 251 representatives across the country. He will officially be appointed as president at an extraordinary meeting on Aug. 11. In the presidential election, which was held for the first time in 10 years after Akira Banzai, 69, announced resignation, Okuno defeated his sole contender, Toru Nakaya, 65, chief of the JA union in Wakayama Prefecture. The voting started on June 23 and the ballots were counted on Thursday. Okuno, … Continue reading

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