Category Archives: Farm Policy

TOKYO, Oct. 5 – Fumio Kishida, president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was elected the 100th prime minister at the extraordinary Diet session held on Oct. 4. Kishida launched his Cabinet the same day and appointed Genjiro Kaneko, former chair of the Upper House Budget Committee, as the new agriculture minister. Kishida asked Kaneko to swiftly compile measures to stabilize supply-demand balance of rice amid declining rice prices. The new prime minister said at a news conference that the top priority will be given to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the government will put together economic measures to support people and businesses affected by the pandemic. The government … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sep. 11 – Estimated agriculture, forestry, and fishery loss caused by the heavy rainfall continued from August 11 in Japan have risen to 65.7 billion yen, the farm ministry said on September 10, 2021. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) confirmed damages on farming land and facilities and agricultural products in 39 prefectures. The early estimate as of August 6 was around 59.1 billion yen. The survey is still ongoing and likely to reveal a further rise in the number, according to MAFF. The estimate as of September 17 is 65.67 billion yen. Those in two prefectures for which the heavy rain emergency warning was … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Aug. 17 – Shipments of locally grown vegetables used for processed products and by restaurants are increasing in recent years, reaching 1.06 million tons in 2019, up 72,000 tons, or 7 percent, from the previous year, according to the agriculture ministry. The figure – the total for shipments of 14 varieties including cabbages, onions, carrots, green peppers and Chinese cabbages – is up 187,000 tons, or 21 percent, from 2014. The agriculture ministry has been taking measures to boost the shipments, with a target of expanding the annual total to 1.45 million tons by 2030. Demands of vegetables for processing and for restaurants have been rising, occupying 60 percent … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Aug. 26 – Japan’s calorie-based food self-sufficiency rate fell to a record-low 37 percent in fiscal 2020, down 1 percentage point from a year before, due to weak demand for rice, the agriculture ministry said on Aug. 25. The figure tied with the rate marked in fiscal 1993 and 2018, when the nation had seriously poor rice harvests. It has become even more difficult for Japan to achieve its target of raising the food self-sufficiency rate to 45 percent by fiscal 2030. The nation’s food self-sufficiency potential indicator also worsened due to shrinking farmlands. The food self-sufficiency ratio, which indicates how much of domestic food supplies are covered by … Continue reading →