Category Archives: Farm Policy

Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama, also an advocate for agriculture, dies

TOKYO, March 9 — Akira Toriyama, a manga artist from Nagoya who created world-famous works including “Dr. Slump” and “Dragon Ball,” died of acute subdural hematoma on March 1. He was 68. Toriyama advocated the importance of agriculture and rural villages, and his adventure manga focusing on food education, titled “Oishii Shima no U-sama” (Delicious Island’s Mr. U) and published in 2009, is still loved by many children today. “Oishii Shima no U-sama” is an 18-page, A5-size full-color booklet included in “Agri Guruguru School,” a learning material for fifth-grade elementary school children produced by an agricultural and livestock industries promotion council of Aisai, Aichi Prefecture. The main character of the … Continue reading

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Traditional wasabi production in central Japan makes use of plentiful spring water

SHIZUOKA, March 4 — Shizuoka Prefecture is Japan’s top producer of wasabi — the quintessential seasoning of Japanese cuisine that the country boasts to the world. The native Japanese plant, whose lower part of the stems are grated to make spice that stimulates the nose with a sharp flavor, has been grown in a traditional way in Shizuoka, and the wasabi cultivation making use of abundant spring water, geological features and weather conditions has been added to the list of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The Ikadaba wasabi fields in the city of Izu in the central Izu Peninsula are made up … Continue reading

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A group in Ishikawa Prefecture collects more than 10 million yen in crowdfunding to recover quake-hit rice terraces

ISHIKAWA, Feb. 22 — A group working to preserve the Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, seriously damaged by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January, launched a crowdfunding campaign to recover the terraces and managed to collect funds topping the initial target amount of 10 million yen. The rice terraces are the collection of 1,004 terraced rice fields and the symbol of Noto’s satoyama and satoumi — traditional landscapes and seascapes where humans live in harmony with the natural environment — which have been added to the list of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The … Continue reading

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Dairy farmer in Hokkaido develops mine clearing vehicle from grass mower to avoid war casualties in Ukraine

HOKKAIDO, Feb. 24 – A 68-year-old cattle farmer in Hokkaido, Mitsuharu Fukayo, has made a commercially available grass mower into a mine sweeping vehicle for Ukraine. Wheels attached to a remotely controlled vehicle will apply pressure to the ground and let underground mines explode. “I want the war to end soon,” he said, praying for peace. Fukayo raises 600 dairy cows as a representative of United Farm, a dairy farm corporation in Betsukai Town, Hokkaido. As an amateur developer, he decided to do something to help people suffering in the war in Ukraine and came up with the idea to design this mine-sweeping vehicle. The vehicle is made up of … Continue reading

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Join ZEN-NOH’s general election and vote for your favorite gummy candy from 47 prefectures of Japan.

TOKYO, Feb. 19 – Vote to choose your favorite gummy! On February 19, the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH) kicked off a nationwide competition among Nippon Yell Brand gummy candies made with fruits unique to each of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It will be a poll to choose the best gummy candy from 47 kinds representing 47 prefectures. The federation has set up a unique website for the vote, which is open to the public. The poll will be closed on March 10, and the top 10 winners will be announced on March 29. In November last year, ZEN-NOH completed the Nippon Yell Gummy Candies lineup from … Continue reading

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