Category Archives: Others

Wuzu Fayan, a Chinese Zen master of the Song dynasty known as Goso Hoen in Japanese, left a saying admonishing those who monopolize power. He said people in power tend to behave arrogantly, but it is when you have power that you should listen to others. He warned that misfortunes will come to those who steamroller the opposition. Great leaders are great listeners, he said. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s supremacy was cemented further by the Liberal Democratic Party’s victory in the Upper House election. Abe also managed to fulfill his long-cherished wish of political forces in favor of revising the Constitution securing a two-thirds majority in the chamber. He is … Continue reading →

[By Kazushiro Tamiya, Editor in Chief of The Japan Agricultural News] While the Lower House election is an election to decide who should be in power, the Upper House election is more of a confidence vote in the administration. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration is highly likely to be maintained, but the election will decide whether the forces backing Abe will increase or decrease. In another words, the election will make clear whether Abe’s administration will step on the accelerator or the brakes. The past three and a half years saw a historical turning point in terms of agricultural policies, as the Japanese government joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks … Continue reading →

On the first Sunday of June every year in Hioki-shi, Kagoshima Prefecture, there is an exciting rice planting festival called Seppetobe. Seppetobe means “leap as high as possible” in the Kagoshima local dialect. Young men in white costumes jump in a paddy field, which is covered with mud, to pray for the productiveness of the year. The young men from some groups according to the districts they live and compete how well a man from each group can carry a long bamboo rod from one corner to another for about 50 meters without tipping it over. A large figure of about 3 meters tall called deodon (meaning the great king … Continue reading →

[Last in a series] <The upcoming Upper House election focuses mainly on economic policies and less on agriculture and rural villages. What will happen to our food resources under the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement? How did lives in rural areas change under the “economy comes first” policy? These are significant issues that are closely related to the Japanese people. The Japan Agricultural News asked three experts what they think are the issues which need to be addressed in the election.> When we decide which party or candidate to vote for, we should not forget to check whether they kept the pledges they promised during the previous election campaigns and what they … Continue reading →