Abe aims to push Japan food exports to boost farmers’ income

TOKYO, Nov. 27 — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to expand Japanese agri-food exports and boost farmers’ incomes. “Building sustainable overseas sales channels is the key to increase farmers’ income,” said Abe at a Nov. 24 meeting held by the agriculture ministry to promote Japanese agri-food exports. Abe pointed to the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as well as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He said: “These trade deals create an opportunity to boost exports as they remove tariffs imposed on Japanese agri-foods.” The Japanese government wants to increase agriculture exports and has set a target to boost the annual value of agricultural exports … Continue reading

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Japan’s farm minister pledges ‘support’ to JA self-reform

TOKYO, Nov. 23 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has said he will spare no effort to help the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, known as JA, the nation’s largest farmers’ group, to carry out self-reform. “I have a strong expectation for the JA group’s self-reform,” Saito said in his first policy speech at a Nov. 22 agriculture committee in the lower house of parliament, following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent landslide election victory. “The agriculture ministry will follow up each step of their self-reform and I will spare no effort to help them bring real change for the benefits of farmers,” he said. Abe has trumpeted the transforming of Japan’s protected … Continue reading

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Japan to retain safeguard mechanism for US beef imports

TOKYO, Nov. 30 — The finance ministry has decided to maintain a provision that allows Japan to invoke a World Trade Organization (WTO) special safeguard mechanism in the event of a sharp rise in beef imports in the year starting April 2018. In August, Tokyo imposed the WTO safeguard to restrict frozen beef imports temporarily by raising the tariff, after the imports rises more than 17% year-on-year in the April-June quarter. It mainly affects U.S. producers because they are the main suppliers of frozen beef to Japan, and Washington doesn’t have a free trade agreement with Tokyo. The measure will remain in effect through the fiscal year that ends March … Continue reading

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Japan’s food exports rise to a record level in Jan-Sept 2017

TOKYO, Nov. 24 — Japan’s food exports have grown this year to a record level, thanks to the strong demand for Japanese wagyu beef, data from the finance ministry has shown. Japanese total exports for food rose 5.4% to 568.3 billion yen in the nine months that ended September 30, 2017, compared to the same period the year earlier. The beef exports in January-September jumped 44% to 1,715 metric tons, making up 90 percent of last year’s record exports of 1,908 metric tons. Hong Kong, the top destination for Japanese beef, saw a 38% increase during the period. Beef exports to the United States, which is Japan’s second-biggest market for … Continue reading

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Japanese government adopts new farm aid to adjust trade deal

TOKYO, Nov. 25 — The Japanese government has adopted a revised policy package to help dairy and livestock farmers adjust to increased agricultural food imports entering Japan under new trade deals. That move comes as Tokyo and Brussels aim to complete the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) by the end of the year. The government now needs to get Diet approval for financing with a supplementary budget for fiscal 2017. All cabinet members approved the revised package at a Nov. 24 meeting of the consolidated headquarters that facilitate Japan’s early entry into trade agreements. It includes the Japan-EU EPA as well as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific … Continue reading

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