Category Archives: Others

KAGOSHIMA, Dec. 5 ― The 12th Japanese Wagyu Branded Beef Competition, dubbed as the “Wagyu Olympics,” will be held on Oct. 6-10, 2022 in Kagoshima prefecture. The Kyoto-based Wagyu Registry Association, which promotes and upholds the standards for Wagyu beef in Japan, has approved the dates. The Japanese Wagyu Branded Beef Competition, which takes place every five years, seeks to promote excellence in wagyu beef production, providing an opportunity for producers to benchmark their product.

MADRID, Dec. 3 – Country Arroz Promote Network, a nonprofit organization working to promote Japan-made rice flour, on Dec. 1 became the first Japanese organization to participate in Festival del Celiaco, a major trade fair for gluten-free foods held in Madrid. The event, the 35th of its kind, was organized by the Madrid Association of Celiacs and Gluten Sensitive People, with 50 organizations setting up booths, attracting more than 6,000 people in a day. The network offered steamed buns and noodles made with rice flour for people to try, while selling Japan-made rice flour and noodles imported from Japan by a local wholesaler. Gluten-free noodles were especially popular among visitors, … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 16 – “Bitter Truth of Sweet Bananas,” a DVD on the reality of the banana production in the Philippines, was released by Pacific Asia Resource Center (PARC). The 78-minutes documentary film about the bananas produced for the Japanese market features the predicaments of the local banana farmers with agrichemicals aerial spraying and unfair contracts with enterprises, for example, and the futures of the initiatives to support the local farmers. PARC calls the public to see the film and “think about the relationships between Japan and the Philippines and also about the food.” The theme of documentary is the problems on the production site relating to, for example, agricultural … Continue reading →

AOMORI, Nov. 13 ― Apple thefts are on the rise in Aomori prefecture, Japan’s largest apple growing region. “Growers are feeling wretched after losing fruits of their labors,” said an official from the JA Tsugaru Hirosaki, a regional farmers cooperative in Aomori. According to the Aomori police, five theft cases have been reported since October, totaling 13,000 apples stolen as of Nov. 12, including 500,000 yen worth of Fuji apples in Hirosaki city and 400,000 yen worth of Fuji apples in Tsugaru city. “And reports to police may be the tip of the iceberg,” the official said. Incidents include a series of daylight thefts, and farmers sometimes can’t notify police … Continue reading →