Category Archives: Farm Policy

Japan ends SBS tenders to buy Australian rice for fiscal 2018

TOKYO, March 16 ― Japan has ended the simultaneous buy and sell (SBS) tending system to import table rice from Australia for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) without the U.S., also known as TPP-11. The last tender for the fiscal 2018 was held on March 14 and 15, reaching a total of 1,120 metric tons, according to the agriculture ministry. That was about a half of quota that Australia was given for the first implementation year of the TPP-11, which went into effect on Dec. 30, 2018, with six signatories: Japan, Mexico, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada and Australia. From the second year starting … Continue reading

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Trump calls on Abe to abolish tariffs on U.S. farm produce, determined to reach agreement on bilateral trade talks

WASHINGTON, April 28 – In a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 26 (April 27 Japan time) at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump pushed Japan to end tariffs on U.S. agricultural products in the bilateral trade talks. Trump expressed determination to reach an agreement, indicating a deal might be reached by late May. Tokyo reiterated the need to proceed with the talks based on the joint statement issued by the two countries last September which stated that “with regard to agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, outcomes related to market access as reflected in Japan’s previous economic partnership agreements constitute the maximum level.” The Japanese officials said … Continue reading

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EU to lift import bans on milk and dairy products from Japan

TOKYO, March. 9 ― The EU is set to lift import bans on milk and dairy products from Japan on March 26, opening doors to Japanese products, such as cheese and cakes, the Japanese agriculture ministry has said. The announcement came after Japanese milk and dairy products were on the exemption list by the European Commission. It coincides the timing of the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which took effect on Feb. 01. Products whose egg and dairy products content amounts to 50 percent and below can enter into the EU market as early as March 26. But products whose egg and dairy products content amounts to 50 percent and … Continue reading

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Japanese rice and rice product exports hit records in 2018

TOKYO, March. 6 ― Japan’s rice and rice product exports rose for the seventh consecutive year of growth, breaking the 30 billion yen barrier for the first time in its history, thanks to largely to appetite for Japanese products in neighboring Asian countries, data has showed. Total shipments of Japanese rice and rice products rose 17% to 30.4 billion yen in 2018 from a year earlier, marking the highest level since they have been recorded in 2004, the agriculture ministry said. Yet, that is far short of the government’s target of 60 billion yen of rice and rice product exports in 2019. Among those products, rice rose 17% to 3.7 … Continue reading

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Ruling party urges government to avoid further market liberalization for farm products in trade talks with the United States

TOKYO, April 13 – As Japan and the United States are set to launch talks on a trade pact in Washington on April 15, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party held a meeting on trade negotiations on April 12 and adopted a resolution calling on the government to avoid reaching an agreement that is beneficial only to the U.S. The party asked Toshimitsu Motegi, minister in charge of the trade talks, the same day not to agree on reducing tariffs on agricultural products beyond levels agreed under the initial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade talks before the U.S.’ withdrawal. The LDP’s resolution was aimed at urging the government not to make … Continue reading

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