Category Archives: Trade Talks

TOKYO, Oct. 10 – The European Union will ease its import restrictions on some Japanese food products effective October 10, 2021. EU introduced the restrictions after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant accident. Under the rule, it has been requesting exporters of mushrooms from Fukushima and five other Japanese prefectures to submit certificates of radiological examination and other prefectures certificates of origin. These certificates are no longer required except for the wild mushrooms and some wild mountain vegetables such as koshiabura, a popular ingredient for tempura Japanese classic deep-fried dish. EU announced the plan for the rule change on September 20. Norwegian and … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Oct. 7 – New agriculture minister Genjiro Kaneko said on Oct. 6 he places top priority on measures to ease the supply-demand imbalance of rice. In a media interview, Kaneko stressed that the ministry will come up with measures to cope with the issue as soon as possible. “We will respond to the issue swiftly under our basic policy of producing and selling rice according to demands,” he said. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed him to deal with the issue as rice growers are put under a difficult situation amid a decline in prices of rice harvested this year, Kaneko said. He also said that the ministry will expand … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sept. 15 – Japan-grown Unshu Mandarin oranges can be exported to Vietnam starting on Oct. 1 if they meet certain requirements, the agriculture ministry announced on Sept. 14. The oranges to be exported should be cultivated at registered farmlands and go through inspections for citrus fruit flies and other pests. The ban on shipments of the oranges will be lifted effectively for products which will be harvested next year. The ministry estimates that the value of exports for the initial year will be around 9 million yen. The ministry will start recruiting growers who want to register their farmlands at the Plant Protection Station to export the oranges. The … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Dec. 31 – One year has passed since the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) took effect on December 30, 2018. Under the 11-country trade pact, duties on certain products were reduced or eliminated. Its signatories, primarily meat and fruits producing countries, have aggressively expanded their access to Japan, and Japanese farmers were thrown into a market that is freer than ever before. Japan has also signed the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) and will sign the US-Japan trade deal on January 1, 2020. Marked wariness is prevailing among Japanese. -Canadian pork and beef: exports to Japan expanding “Japan has become the largest importer of Canadian products, … Continue reading →