Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

【Editorial】 Reconfirm the role of co-operatives in revising farm co-ops law (March 4, 2015)

  The government’s policies concerning the agricultural co-operatives reform goes against the global trend. The international society highly evaluates and pins high hopes on the value and role of co-operatives. Some countries have enacted co-ops laws, considering that co-ops operated under the principle of mutual aid are an effective institution to solve such problems as hunger, poverty, employment and regional revitalization. It is necessary to renew public awareness and consensus on the significance and role of co-ops today before starting discussions on the revision of the Agricultural Co-operatives Society Law. International Co-operative Alliance President Pauline Green, who visited Tokyo last month, gave high marks to Japanese co-ops, saying they have … Continue reading

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【News】 Hokkaido University student’s trip from Hokkaido to Okinawa with two Dosanko horses to end (March 1, 2015)

Tetsuya Onda A 24-year-old undergraduate student in his sixth year in Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, is now in the course of a long journey through Japan, surprisingly walking all the way from Hokkaido to Okinawa on foot with two Dosanko horses. The student, Kohei Yamakawa, says he wants more people to know that there are some extant Japanese indigenous horse breeds including some critically endangered. Kohei and his two Dosanko horses, native to Hokkaido, left Sapporo, Hokkaido, in August 2014 and now they are almost there at goal, the Yonaguni Island of Okinawa. Late February, Kohei and his mates, Yuki and Mitchy, were walking up the hill in … Continue reading

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【News】 Japan to allow betting on foreign horse races (Feb. 28, 2015)

  The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which oversees horse racing, presented to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito on Friday, Feb. 27 a draft outline of a bill to permit sales of betting tickets for overseas races. Recently, Japanese horse racing fans’ interest in overseas races are increasing, as more Japanese horses are taking part in high-profile foreign races, including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France, and winning prizes. The ministry plans to submit the bill to revise the horse racing law to the current ordinary Diet session, hoping it would lead to a rise in betting revenues, part of which are used to boost … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Regional revitalization strategy must reflect local people’s views (Feb. 25, 2015)

  The government has been advocating regional revitalization as one of its main strategic policy goals, but the effectiveness of the strategy remains questionable. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of people moving in to the Tokyo metropolitan area, which includes Tokyo and Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, exceeded the number of people moving out last year for three consecutive years. The data reveals that overconcentration of population in urban areas is accelerating. The government aims to balance the number of people moving in to the Tokyo metropolitan area and those moving out by 2020. However, it seems difficult to meet the goal unless the … Continue reading

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【Opinion】 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cry for reform – an effort to dismantle opposition forces (Feb. 23, 2015)

  Katsuto Uchihashi The 189th ordinary Diet session which began on Feb. 12 is dubbed the “screaming for reform” Diet. In his 45-minute policy speech before the Diet, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe mentioned the term “reform” as many as 36 times and cried out that he is determined to reform agricultural co-operatives for the first time in 60 years. The issue of dismantling the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu), which was narrowly agreed upon only three days before the opening of the Diet, has been made the main focus of the Diet session. Those who support the reform plan insist that turning JA-Zenchu into a general incorporated association and … Continue reading

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