Japan to probe foreign ownership of agricultural land: minister

TOKYO, March 24 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has said the government will investigate for the first time if there is any farmland available for sale to overseas buyers. “We will have a good look at foreign ownership in farmland,” Saito told Japan’s upper house agriculture committee on March 23. The nation’s Farmland Act does not permit any businesses or foreigners to buy agricultural land. So, the government has never investigated farmland sales to overseas buyers before. Saito pointed out that Japan has heavily restricted farmland ownership, for example, the majority of shareholders have to be farmers. “In theory, as long as farmland purchases comply with the legislation, foreign … Continue reading

Posted in Farm Policy, Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on Japan to probe foreign ownership of agricultural land: minister

【Series】 Our Noh no Ikebana : “Let’s celebrate new lives and new shoot,” says Taeko Fukuyama, 76, from Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture (Apr. 6)

With Noh no Ikebana, I often chose dishes such as kimchi and chirashi zushi (sushi with colorful toppings) as a theme for my arrangement, in addition to seasonal features and appreciation for agricultural products. In that case, I combine ingredients and tools I use for the dishes with flowers and other materials to give it a sense of seasons. The theme of this arrangement is “The first spring storm.” The container is a dead branch of Japanese apricot I found in my garden. I added several types of local specialties, such as mushrooms, strawberries, and hassaku oranges. I used no flowers, no plants. However, I used the mushrooms instead of … Continue reading

Posted in Noh no Ikebana, Photos | Comments Off on 【Series】 Our Noh no Ikebana : “Let’s celebrate new lives and new shoot,” says Taeko Fukuyama, 76, from Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture (Apr. 6)

Japanese sake brewery in UK gets rice from farmers in Japan

TOKYO, March 21 — Japan’s largest farmers’ group has exported rice to the UK’s first Japanese-run sake brewery in the heart of the English countryside for the first time. Sake is a Japanese alcoholic drink made of fermented rice. A bold move came when Osaka-based Dojima Sake Brewery Co. opened its first UK facility to offer a taste of the traditional Japanese beverage at Fordham Abbey in Cambridgeshire. The Japanese sake maker asked the National Federation of Agriculture Cooperative Association (ZEN-NOH), the marketing arm of JA group, to ship Japanese-grown rice to the new UK facility. Test brewing is to start in April. This is significant because there have already … Continue reading

Posted in Cooperatives, Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on Japanese sake brewery in UK gets rice from farmers in Japan

Japan’s JA group plays critical export role: agriculture minister

TOKYO, March 20 — Japanese Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has said the nation’s largest farmers’ group has a critical role in leading exports of agricultural products as Japan faces a declining population. “We need to take a big push to expand our food exports, but it is difficult for farmers themselves to sell their products globally,” Saito told foreign media at a March 19 meeting. “So, the JA group should take a leading role when it comes to peddling their wares to the world,” he stressed. “That is how the group should reinvent itself now.” The JA group has been a prime target of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s structural changes … Continue reading

Posted in Cooperatives, Farm Policy | Comments Off on Japan’s JA group plays critical export role: agriculture minister

Japanese researchers develop new packaging for table grapes

TOKYO, March 19 — Japanese researchers have developed a new packaging box for table grapes, designed to protect the fruit so it arrives fresh and in good conditions to customers. Table grapes can easily be physically damaged, and poor handling can result in bunch shattering. So, packaging is key to minimizing transportation losses and extending the post-harvest life of fresh grapes. Japan’s National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) has unveiled the new box that contains layers of cushioning sheets with two big holes. The holes allow different sizes of grapes to be placed in a way to resist the impact of rough handling during transit. Conventional packages place cushion … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture, Others | Comments Off on Japanese researchers develop new packaging for table grapes