Category Archives: Farm Policy

SHIGA, Feb. 28 – Shiga Prefecture is launching an initiative this fiscal year for protecting the name of Shiga’s signature agricultural product, Omi-gyu or Omi Beef. The action is taken as an increasing number of non-authorized parties are registering the brand names of Japanese agricultural and livestock products abroad. The prefecture plans to file for the trademark registrations in seven countries and regions, mainly in Asia, during the next fiscal year. In its initial budget for the fiscal year 2020, it allocates one million yen for the new project it launched exclusively for promoting the registrations of Omi beef brand names. The initiative will be led by an Omi beef-related … Continue reading →

Tokyo, Feb. 26 – Farm Ministry of Japan said that damage to agricultural products by birds and animals in Japan was 15.8 billion yen in the fiscal year 2019. The figure was reported on February 26, 2020, at the Liberal Democratic Party’s joint meeting on wild birds and animals. The nationwide number dropped for six consecutive years, but 13 prefectures saw a rise in the damage. According to the report, the impact was not limited to the loss of agricultural products -affected farmers are feeling reluctant to continue farming and the number of farmers who decided to exit is increasing. The ministry, therefore, is now preparing an additional survey on … Continue reading →

Berlin, Jan. 20 – The Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference was held on January 18, 2020, in Berlin, Germany. Agricultural ministers representing nations and regions around the world adopted a communique that calls for actions to promote trade, strengthen agricultural production system, and support small-scale farmers to ensure global food security. The global leaders also confirmed to proactively introduce information-communication technology (ICT) and innovations in the agricultural sector and share information for controlling animal diseases such as African swine fever (ASF). The annual agricultural summit meetings have been held in Germany since 2009. Agricultural ministers and high government officials from 71 nations and regions, including Taku Eto from Japan, and representatives … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Jan. 20 – The Japanese government is boosting the support for the export of Japanese sake, wine, and alcoholic beverages starting in fiscal 2020. The budget for the assistance will be lifted largely to accelerate the creation of new sales channels overseas, such as restaurants and retailers, through established local distributors, for example. The National Tax Agency of Japan will set up an export promotion office in July. The new office will have 18 dedicated officers who will handle negotiations with other countries for removing rules and limits on alcoholic products from Japan and establishing a system that can make the exports easier. The total value of sake exports … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Jan. 8 – The farm ministry of Japan launched a new YouTube channel called Buzz Maff on January 7, 2020. The contents of Buzz Maff are created by ministry officials, who voluntarily gathered to plan, design, and create one streaming video a day for the online video sharing website. Its stories feature agricultural products and life in farming towns and villages. Its targets are not limited to young Japanese, and it aims to create a buzz among viewers including foreign nationals living in Japan. There are 14 teams of in-house creators, and some stories are already available on YouTube. “An ordinary sweet potato may look different after you’ve seen … Continue reading →