Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

NIIGATA, July 3 ― The city of Sado, Niigata Prefecture, was designated as the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in 2011, the first such case in Japan, for its satoyama landscape where people coexist with endangered Japanese crested ibis, called toki in Japanese. During the 12 years after its designation, how did the city manage to spread agriculture that provide nurturing habitats for crested ibis? How can agriculture and economy be balanced with biodiversity? Many crested ibis can be seen at the Kuninaka Plain, located right in the middle of Sado Island which is shaped like the letter S. It is a densely inhabited area with paddy fields spreading … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Jun. 22 – Japan’s exports of apples produced in 2022 (from September 2022 to April 2023) reached 38,554 tons, a record high for the first time in seven years. In value terms, it also hit a record high at 18.89 billion yen. Exports to Taiwan and Hong Kong increased due to weak apple production in the U.S., one of Japan’s competitors. In Taiwan, demands for Japanese apples are growing as gift items and also table fruits. Also, the depreciation of the yen had a favorable impact. According to the finance ministry’s trade statistics, Japan’s apple exports peaked at 36,304 tons in 2015 and have gone sluggish since then due … Continue reading →

  TOKYO, June 25 — Marketing campaigns for cherries are intensifying as many large-size, photogenic cherry brands have debuted in recent years. Yamagata Prefecture is widely promoting its new cherry variety Yamagata Benio which made a full-scale debut this year. The new variety is promoted among a variety of people from wholesalers to young people to increase its brand recognition to become the driving force for the growing region. Aomori Prefecture is seeking to attract new customers to boost consumption of its cherry variety Juno Heart by selling the cherries in a package that looks like a jewelry box. High-end parfait Yamagata Benio is known for its size as big … Continue reading →

Ehime, June 17 – Iseki & Co., Ltd. has released, this month, the world’s first tractor equipped with a seatbelt reminder, a system that emits an alarming sound when a driver not wearing seatbelt attempts to drive the vehicle. To ensure drivers’ safety, the farm ministry of Japan is considering making a seatbelt reminder standard equipment on new tractor models to be released after April 2025. The leading Japanese agricultural machinery manufacturing company based in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, decided to introduce it before the mandatory introduction. All passenger vehicles in Japan must have the device under the Road Trucking Vehicle Act of Japan. The ministry has been discussing making it … Continue reading →