Category Archives: Farm Policy

[Editorial] New Japan-U.S. trade talks must never lead to another FTA (Aug. 12)

Earlier this month, Japan and the United States held their first meeting under what they call “free, fair and reciprocal” trade talks, and the U.S. called for launching negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). Japan should never accept a Japan-U.S. FTA, as it will deal a heavy blow to Japan’s agriculture. The government and the ruling coalition should make clear their stance of adamantly refusing such a deal when they engage in future negotiations. Economy revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who is also in charge of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) multilateral accord, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will lead the dialogue, dubbed the FFR talks. The two governments … Continue reading

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Japan’s farm group sets up a base in Taiwan to expand exports

TOKYO, Aug. 2 ― Japan’s largest farmers’ group has opened its marketing base in Taiwan to boost Japanese farm and food exports. This is the fifth overseas base for the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Association (JA ZEN-NOH). The marketing arm of JA group has export hubs in the U.S., the U.K., Singapore and Hong Kong. Taiwan is No. 3 destination for Japanese agricultural exports, after Hong Kong and the U.S. Shipments of Japanese farm exports to Taiwan totaled 65.4 billion yen in 2017, accounting for 13 percent of the total food exports. Taiwan is the biggest buyer of Japanese apples, but it also emerged as the top destination for … Continue reading

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Japan’s agriculture & trade ministries set to boost farm exports

TOKYO, July 28 ― Japan’s agriculture and trade ministries — the two longtime adversaries due to the government policies — are now working together to boost farm exports. The two ministries have set up a joint committee to discuss ways to expand agriculture exports such as Japanese beef and rice flour. The committee will also look at how to strengthen marketing of the Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO), a government-backed agency that promotes Japanese food exports. The committee is expected to meet once a month and the first meeting was set to hold on Aug. 8. The move comes as Japan has set a target of 1 trillion … Continue reading

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Japan likely to extend best-before dates to boost pork exports

TOKYO, July 30 ― Japan is planning to extend best-before dates for pork products in a bit to boost chilled exports, informed sources have said. The agriculture and health miniseries have set up a panel to look at hygienic controls abroad and review guidelines for setting best-before dates. The first meeting of the panel was held on July 17, hearing from meat exporters. The move coincides with the Japanese government’s goal, which aims to expand pork export value at 1.2 billion yen, or equivalent to 1,000 metric tons, by 2019. Japan’s pork exports have been steadily increasingly over recent years, totaling 720 million yen, or 622 metric tons, in 2017. … Continue reading

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Chinese shiitake spawn import to Japan hit record high in 2017

TOKYO, July. 8 ― Japan’s imports of shiitake spawn, which are essentially mushroom seeds, hit a record volume in 2017, official data have shown. Shiitake spawn imports to Japan rose 18% to 15,649 metric tons in 2017 from a year earlier, the finance ministry said. That was the 10th consecutive year of growth since 2008 and all imports were from China. The Edible Mushroom Spawn Association has estimated that shiitake grown from the imported mushroom spawn accounted for 7.5 percent of the Japanese total production volume in 2017. Shiitake are among the most popular of many varieties of mushrooms eaten by the fungi-mad Japanese. Each year, families and restaurants stew, … Continue reading

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