Category Archives: Farm Policy

TOKYO, Sep. 12 – The fourth Abe Cabinet was formed on November 11. It appointed Taku Eto as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Eto, a first-time minister, used to be an assistant to the prime minister Shinzo Abe. He is an expert of an agriculture and forestry policy in LDP. Abe intends to strengthen efforts to address Japan-US trade agreement, swine fever and all other urgent agricultural issues and drive the reform of agricultural policy with the appointment of his close aide. Eto indicated that he would consider reviewing the outline of the policy regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), taking into account the Japan-US trade agreement. At … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sep. 21 – In the battle against swine fever, Taku Eto, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, has decided to start preparing for the change the country’s epidemic prevention policy. After the policy change, the country is going to introduce a new vaccination program for pigs grown at pig farms, he said. The revision will make it possible to vaccinate pigs based on the permission by a governor of each prefecture. However, there will be several issues to be clarified, such as target areas, and the ministry intends to discuss with experts and representatives of prefectures to establish a concrete plan. The revision is expected to take … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Aug. 20 – Japan’s export of hen eggs is now strong. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan’s export of shell chicken eggs in the first six months of 2019 amounted approximately 1 billion yen. It’s 60% higher than the same period last year, which was the highest in the past 30 years. In Hong Kong, the primary market for eggs from Japan, both the sales of raw eggs for supermarkets and the demand for onsen tamago (hot-spring eggs) are growing. Onsen tamago is a half-boiled egg with soft and creamy yoke and half-done white. It’s become popular among consumers outside Japan as it is … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Aug. 10 – The number of young beginning farmers under the age of 49 was 19,290 in 2018, down 7% from the previous year. It fell below 20,000 for the first time in five years, according to a survey released by the Ministry of Agriculture on August 9. The drop in the figure is partly attributable to the decreased in the number of new employed farmers due to an increasingly severer competition for new workers with other industries. Meanwhile, the total number of new farmers amounted to 55,810 and exceeded 50,000 for two consecutive years. The numbers of beginning farmers in 2015 and 2016, however, were at the 60,000 … Continue reading →