Category Archives: Farm Policy

Japan’s farm minister pledges to stick to reform after election

TOKYO, Oct. 25 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has said he will keep advancing farm reforms “with humbleness,” following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent landslide election victory. The governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito clinched a sweeping win in a national election on Oct. 22, with a two-thirds majority in the lower house of the parliament. “During the campaign, I received a lot of criticism about our LDP,” Saito confessed at a press conference on Oct. 24. When he visited rural areas during the campaign, Saito said, farmers raised concerns about the Abe administration’s plan to abolish in 2018 the decades-old rice support program limiting … Continue reading

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TPP-11 officials set to meet in last negotiations before APEC

TOKYO, Oct. 25 — Negotiators from the remaining 11 members of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will meet for three days starting Oct. 30 in Urayasu city, near Tokyo, according to the Japanese government. “We hope we will advance the talks toward reaching an agreement, while keeping the deal ambitious” said TPP Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at an Oct. 24 press conference. The TPP-11 officials will again focus on narrowing the list of provisions that will be put on ice until the United States might return to the TPP. Japan wants to cut the list by half from the current 50 requests. If this is not possible, Japan hopes that the list can … Continue reading

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【Editorial】Efforts begin to market Japan-made rice flour – the world’s highest-quality gluten-free food – in Europe (Oct. 7)

Japan’s rice products industry will kick off a sales campaign on Oct. 8 to promote domestically-made rice flour in Europe, focusing on the gluten-free labeling created by the Japanese government and industry to certify nongluten products based on the strictest standards in the world. The campaign deserves attention as the pioneering efforts to export rice products. Japan’s domestic market for farm produce is declining due to the falling birthrate and aging population. This is especially true for rice, whose demand has been shrinking by some 80,000 tons every year. The recent policy regarding rice is a typical downsizing, and rice farmers have been reducing production in line with the decreasing … Continue reading

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Japan rejects US pressure to review frozen beef safeguard

TOKYO, Oct. 21 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has reiterated that Tokyo will not bend to U.S. pressure to review its special safeguard (SSG) mechanism on frozen beef imports. “Japan has no intention to change its safeguard mechanism,” said Saito at a press conference on Oct. 20. His comment came after a second round of Japan-U.S. Economic Dialogue between Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Vice President Mike Pence on Oct. 16 ended without a solution over the SSG mechanism. Under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, Japan has the right to invoke the SSG to restrict frozen beef imports temporarily by raising the tariff from 38.5 percent to 50 … Continue reading

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Japan watching New Zealand’s new government TPP stance

TOKYO, Oct. 21 — Japan is keeping an eye on a move by New Zealand’s incoming Labour Party-led government, which could undermine the prospects of a planned Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal without the United States. “The new government has expressed an intention to modify policies including the TTP,” said Japan’s TPP Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at a press conference on Oct. 20. “We will wait and see.” Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has echoed the caution expressed by Motegi. With the support of the Greens and NZ First parties, NZ’s prime minister-elect Jacinda Ardern said she will implement policies to ban foreign buyers from purchasing existing homes and she will also renegotiate … Continue reading

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