Category Archives: Farm Policy

TOKYO, June 20 – The Japanese government on June 19 presented measures to boost exports of farm produce and food items fit for consumption at home, as people in many countries are shifting to having meals at home amid the new coronavirus outbreak. As the sales of delivery food and online shopping of food items have been on a rise, the government confirmed at a meeting of a task force on exports of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products and food items its plan to support product development and establishment of processing and shipment facilities to respond to the trend. Since it is difficult for people to travel across national borders, … Continue reading →

TOKYO, June 20 – Agriculture minister Taku Eto reiterated on June 19 that agricultural products will not be subject to additional negotiations under the Japan-U.S. trade agreement that entered into force in January. Farm produce “will not be taken up” in the negotiations, Eto stressed at a regular news conference. “Thorough discussions have already been made and a final agreement was made” on the issue, he said. The bilateral trade agreement to reduce tariffs on agricultural and industrial products took effect in January, and the Japanese and U.S. governments had agreed to conclude consultations within four months after the date of entry into force to start the next round of … Continue reading →

TOKYO, June 12 – The number of cases of overseas travelers illegally bringing in meat products to Japan reached a record high of roughly 110,000 in 2019, up 17 percent from a year before, according to the agriculture ministry’s preliminary data. The increase was higher than the 2 percent year-on-year rise in the number of visitors from abroad. The number of cases this year has been low because of a decline in foreign visitors amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but the ministry’s Animal Quarantine Service plans to strengthen measures at ports of entry to prevent livestock infection. Among the total of 110,058 cases reported last year, nearly half, or 50,456, involved … Continue reading →

TOKYO, June 3 – Restrictions for beef which can be exported to Macao will be lifted from June 8, the agriculture ministry announced on June 2. The government hopes the lifting of the restrictions, which limits exports of beef to Macao to boneless meat from cattle aged less than 30 months, will help further boost beef exports to the city which has recently been on the rise in terms of value. Meanwhile, despite Japan’s strong hopes to export beef to China, negotiations on conditions for shipments to the country have not been progressing although China decided in December to resume beef imports from Japan. Macao conditionally lifted its ban on … Continue reading →

TOKYO, May 30 – The number of foreign nationals with a new visa for specified skills totaled 3,987 as of the end of March, a year after the system was launched, according to data released by the Immigration Services Agency on May 29. This is less than 10 percent of the government’s initial goal set for the first year. Among them, those working for the agriculture sector reached 686, also less than a tenth of the government target for the sector. The low numbers are attributable to the complicated procedures for obtaining the visa and the slow approval process, as well as travel restrictions imposed amid the spread of COVID-19 … Continue reading →