TOKYO, Sept. 21 – Convenience stores in Japan are introducing high-priced onigiri rice balls featuring carefully-selected brand rice and domestic agricultural and livestock products. Thanks to the rising need for a modest luxury among people enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, household spending is increasing. Agricultural and livestock producers hope that such rice balls that you can easily buy at nearby stores will be an excellent promotion to increase the consumption of their products. According to a family budget survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, annual spending on rice balls per household with two or more people was 4,746 yen in 2021, up 5% from the previous … Continue reading →

YOKOHAMA, Sept. 8 – Eating vegetables more often can cut the mortality risk by nearly 10%, according to the report released on September 7, 2022, by a group of researchers from Yokohama City University (YUC), National Cancer Center Hospital, and other institutes. The data was obtained through the study of nearly 20 years on 100,000 male and female examinees in Japan. It’s the first research in Japan to reveal the relationships between the portion of fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of death, while there are some studies already done in Europe and the U.S. The study reconfirmed the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables. The researchers used … Continue reading →

KAGOSHIMA, TOYAMA, Sep. 7 – “Extensive management practices” are spreading in Japan as part of the initiatives to keep farmlands, preventing them from becoming abundant, with a small workload. In Kagoshima Prefecture, farmers and beekeepers turned unused farmlands into nectar sources. In Toyama Prefecture, farmers plan to change idle lands to pastures that require less money and work. The farm ministry of Japan started subsidizing such projects in fiscal 2021. People welcome the moves, saying “the initiatives are also improving the landscape,” though there are concerns about profitability. (Writer: Motoaki Omori) “I’m looking forward to seeing our visitors’ smiling faces,” said Shoji Yamasaki, the 58-year-old chairman of “Yume-Hotaru Tabugawa 2016,” … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sept. 7 – An experts’ team of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has released a report warning that outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian influenza are more likely to occur every season in Japan in the future. This is due to bird flu outbreaks constantly seen in different parts of the world such as Europe. The team pointed out there is a “very high” possibility of the disease infecting birds within the country from this autumn through next spring, calling on farmers to take thorough disease prevention measures. Migratory birds carry the virus into Japan from Europe via Russia, and outbreaks usually occur in the country from … Continue reading →