Category Archives: Farm Policy

Japan unveils food export strategy to attract foreign interests

TOKYO, Dec. 2 — A government-backed agency that promotes Japanese food exports has identified its first 7 products seen as having great potential to penetrate global markets. The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO) unveiled on Dec. 1 its first export strategy for 7 agriculture sectors: wagyu beef, rice flour, green tea, sake, wine, craft beer and fishery products. JFOODO now plans to allocate spending on promotion and advertising in different foreign media from February 2018. It will also increase product lines to expand exports. The move coincides with the government setting a target to boost the annual value of Japan’s agricultural exports at 1 trillion yen by 2020. … Continue reading

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Japan, EU conclude trade deal; aiming to take effect early 2019

TOKYO, Dec. 10 — Japan and the EU have finalized a free trade agreement, by separating contentious issues such as foreign investors’ protections and data flows from the deal. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, stressed the strategic importance of the deal in a Dec. 8 joint statement. “Amid widening protectionist movements,” they said, the deal “demonstrates to the world the firm political will of Japan and the EU to keep the flag of free trade waving high and powerfully advance free trade.” They added: “With the finalization of the negotiations, the path is now clear to complete the internal procedures leading to the … Continue reading

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Japan has enough butter for Christmas despite global shortage

TOKYO, Dec. 2 — Baked cakes and other buttery treats are reasonably available for the coming Christmas season in Japan, despite a global butter shortage, industry groups have said. The agriculture ministry held a meeting on Dec. 1 to discuss the supply and demand situation for butter with bakery chains, supermarkets and distributors. “There is no shortage and we have good supply of butter,” said a supermarket operator at the meeting. An official from a bakery chain also said: “We are well prepared as the Christmas holiday season nears.” Japan’s butter production in April-October fell 8.7% to 33,530 metric tons from the same period a year earlier, due to a … Continue reading

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Abe aims to push Japan food exports to boost farmers’ income

TOKYO, Nov. 27 — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to expand Japanese agri-food exports and boost farmers’ incomes. “Building sustainable overseas sales channels is the key to increase farmers’ income,” said Abe at a Nov. 24 meeting held by the agriculture ministry to promote Japanese agri-food exports. Abe pointed to the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as well as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He said: “These trade deals create an opportunity to boost exports as they remove tariffs imposed on Japanese agri-foods.” The Japanese government wants to increase agriculture exports and has set a target to boost the annual value of agricultural exports … Continue reading

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Japan’s farm minister pledges ‘support’ to JA self-reform

TOKYO, Nov. 23 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has said he will spare no effort to help the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, known as JA, the nation’s largest farmers’ group, to carry out self-reform. “I have a strong expectation for the JA group’s self-reform,” Saito said in his first policy speech at a Nov. 22 agriculture committee in the lower house of parliament, following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent landslide election victory. “The agriculture ministry will follow up each step of their self-reform and I will spare no effort to help them bring real change for the benefits of farmers,” he said. Abe has trumpeted the transforming of Japan’s protected … Continue reading

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