Category Archives: Farm Policy

Japan urges EU to ease radiation testing of Fukushima foods

TOKYO, Sept. 21 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has asked a top EU official to relax food import restrictions from regions hit by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Saito met EU ambassador to Japan Viorel Isticioaia-Budura on Sept. 20, pressing the EU to ease strict rules on inspecting Japanese food imports based on a scientific perspective. The request comes as the European Parliament recently passed a resolution that rejects a proposal by the European Commission. The commission wants to remove radiation testing certification on certain foods, including rice, from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant areas, before they are granted access into European markets. The parliament members instead have … Continue reading

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Japan to boost finance plant biosecurity amid tourism boom

TOKYO, Sept. 19 — Japan will increase financial assistance to enforce strict biosecurity measures to tackle crop pests and diseases at borders, as the rise of serious pests could have a harmful effect on its agricultural production. The agriculture ministry will request a budget of about 4 billion yen for surveillance and biosecurity in the fiscal year beginning next April. A growing number of tourists to Japan have brought many benefits in the fragile economy, but they also have posed risks to the biosecurity, officials said. The ministry plans to supply tablet computers that translate conversations involving multiple languages in real time at new airport terminals dedicated to rapidly growing … Continue reading

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Japan to open farm sector to foreigners amid labor shortage

TOKYO, Sept. 16 — Japan will open the agricultural sector’s jobs to foreigners in the deregulation-friendly strategic special zones, aimed at providing a solution to the sector’s widespread labor shortage. The Cabinet approved Sept. 15 the revised strategic special zone law. It stipulates what foreign workers can do now in the farming industry in Japan; producing organic fertilizers and feeds, transporting and selling agricultural and processed products. This provides more flexibility, compared with the current three-year training program. To be eligible to work for a total of three years, foreign workers must be aged over 18 and have experience working for a farm business more than a year. It also … Continue reading

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Italian Parma Ham registered in Japan’s GI protection system

TOKYO, Sept. 16 — Prosciutto di Parma Ham, one of Italian delicacies, has been registered in Japan’s geographical indications (GI) protection system. This is the first foreign celebrated food designated as a GI in Japan. It becomes one of 42 agriculture products that have been registered for GI protection in Japan, according to the agriculture ministry. Japan introduced the GI system in 2015. The move comes as a political agreement on the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was reached in July, which includes a provision of GI. GI is a rule that requires agriculture products to come from a particular geographical area and it must meet various quality criteria in … Continue reading

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Japan makes efforts to protect domestically-developed strawberry varieties abroad

TOKYO, Sept. 23 – As some domestically-developed strawberry varieties are being produced in other Asian countries without permission, Japanese authorities are stepping up measures to protect the varieties. The Shizuoka Prefectural Government is working to register Kirapika, a new strawberry variety developed in the prefecture, in China, South Korea and Taiwan. Kirapika was registered in Japan this year after 17 years of development, and the prefecture plans to increase its production with the aim of making it the leading brand of Shizuoka which ranks fourth in Japan in terms of strawberry production volume. The prefecture is rushing to register the variety abroad, as it learned a bitter lesson from the … Continue reading

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