Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

JFOODO’s “Wagyu 100%. TV” hits 1.5 million views worldwide

TOKYO, Apr. 18 - “Wagyu 100%. TV,” a series of videos produced by the Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO) is becoming popular among its target viewers, that is, the consumers in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Through visits of a Japanese on-screen talent Shoei at several wagyu-producing prefectures, it unveils the secret to raising excellent wagyu cattle. Such videos, JFOODO believes, will help it communicate effectively, “Japanese wagyu is a genuine wagyu, and it is different from WAGYU-brand beef produced outside Japan.” A total of eight episodes have already been posted, with some on the visits at wagyu producers in Yamagata, Shiga, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima and others on how to … Continue reading

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Future ambitious 4th-generation dairy cattle farmer run for postponed Olympic torch relay in Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA, Apr. 5 – The boy began his run in the schoolyard in Abukuma Highlands in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Holding the torch aloft, he placed his feet firmly on the ground. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics have been postponed for one year. The torch relay for the peaceful festivities, which is billed as the “Recovery Olympics” by Japan, set off on March 25 at the J-Village sports complex in the prefecture struck by the 2011 earthquakes and nuclear crisis. The 16-year-old boy, Ryoji Sakuma, was the third torchbearer in the seventh section on the first day in Katsurao Village. He ran a lap of … Continue reading

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A lawmaker questions whereabouts of American corn shipped to Japan under emergency import program

TOKYO, April 15 – An opposition party lawmaker posed a question at a Diet committee session on April 14 about whereabouts of American corn which then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told then-U.S. President Donald Trump in August 2019 that Japan would import as an emergency measure. “I have been wondering about what happened to corn that Japan imported as an emergency measure during the Trump administration,” asked Akiko Kamei, a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, asked at a session of the Lower House’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Committee. “Where did it go?” In response, Yasuhiro Hanashi, state minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, explained that a fall armyworm … Continue reading

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Japan enjoys surge in strawberry exports

TOKYO, April 11 – Japan is seeing a huge growth in exports of strawberries, with February shipments posting 493 tons, topping 1 billion yen in terms of value in a month for the first time, according to the Finance Ministry’s trade statistics. The monthly volume of exports exceeded 400 tons for two months in a row, reflecting growing reputation for the high quality of Japan-grown strawberries and strong demand for the fruit during the stay-home period amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan’s strawberries are shipped to areas including Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and the United States. The exports began to increase in 2014 and marked a record high of 1,237 … Continue reading

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Approval rate for Japan’s Cabinet drops to 40 percent, Japan Agricultural News survey shows

TOKYO, April 6 – The approval rate for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s Cabinet was 40 percent in a survey conducted in March by The Japan Agricultural News. The rate was down 4 percentage points from the previous survey in December which marked a drop of 18 percentage points from the survey conducted in September immediately after Suga took office. The disapproval rate was 59 percent, up 3 percentage points. The Japan Agricultural News sent the survey by mail between mid-March and late March to 1,133 monitors, mainly farmers, and received responses from 818 people. Out of the respondents, 56 percent said they don’t rate the Suga Cabinet’s agricultural policies highly, … Continue reading

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