Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

【Opinion】 Creation of Japan Co-operative Alliance a chance to share sense of solidarity(May 21)

[By Yuichiro Nakagawa, professor emeritus of Meiji University] On April 1, Japan Co-operative Alliance (JCA) was established to serve as the national center for 17 cooperatives, including the Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (JA-ZENCHU), Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union (JCCU), National Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations (ZENGYOREN), National Federation of Forest Owners’ Co-operative Associations (ZENMORIREN), Japan Workers’ Co-operative Union (Jigyodan), National Federation of University Co-operative Associations (NFUCA) and Japanese Health and Welfare Co-operative Associations (HeW CO-OP Japan). I would like to pay my respects to the group for setting the goal of sharing a sense of solidarity and being responsible for the people’s future. Sustainable development I believe that sustainable development … Continue reading

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JA Obihiro’s red bean gets certified as Japanese space food

TOKYO, May 20 — Japanese red beans grown in Hokkaido have been certified as Japanese space food for crew members at the International Space Station (ISS). The JA Obihiro Kawanishi of Hokkaido announced on May 19 that its red beans obtained approval from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to be used for a Japanese festive dish, called sekihan, to be sent to the ISS. At first, the Japanese farmers group sought the Safe Food Quality (SFQ) certification from the Geneva-based International Standards Organization (ISO). “The SFQ certification demonstrates our commitments to providing the highest quality of red beans to food processing makers to make sekihan,” said Toshinobu Arizuka, the … Continue reading

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Missing foreign technical trainees in Japan hits record in 2017

TOKYO, May 17 — The number of foreign workers who entered Japan on technical trainee visas and disappeared while working in the country surged to a record high in 2017, data from the justice ministry has shown. The foreign technical trainees who went missing totaled 7,089 in 2017, up from 5,058 from a year earlier. Of those, there were 1207 missing foreign trainees in the agriculture sector. “We suspect those missing foreign technical trainees went for better-paying jobs during their stay in Japan,” said an official from the justice ministry. The accumulated number of foreign technical trainees who entered the country reached 274,233 at the end of 2017. The number … Continue reading

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Curling team LS Kitami say ZEN-NOH rice from Japan is power source when competing overseas

TOKYO, May 25 – Five members of the curling team LS Kitami, Pyeongchang Winter Olympics bronze medalist for Japan, made a visit at JA Building in Otemachi, Tokyo, on May 24, 2018, and reported the results of the games to National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH), one of the supporters of the team. Satsuki Fujisawa explained that she always took rice grown in Japan and cooked it locally when she participated the games overseas. “Japanese rice tastes great even after it gets cold. It’s the best food for us to eat before competing,” she said. The meeting was also attended by Mari Motohashi, Yumi Suzuki, Yurika Yoshida and Chinami … Continue reading

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Japan’s lower house passes TPP-11, pushing related trade bills

TOKYO, May 19 — Japan’s lower house has approved the revised Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), also known as the TPP-11, despite opposition efforts to threaten the smooth ratification process. In the May 18 morning, the lower house foreign affairs committee had approved the TPP-11 bill and sent it to the entire chamber to vote on the same day. The trade bill will be approved automatically 30 days after it is sent to the upper house. But for Japan, that is not the end of the ratification process. The governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito party needs to pass the TPP-11 related bills, including measures to compensate … Continue reading

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