Category Archives: Cooperatives

【Feature】Winter beauty of harmonic life of man and nature in Japan (Jan. 1, 2016)

  The landscape of Japanese farm villages changes dramatically from season to season. Winter in Japan is generally very cold, but even the cold weather brings with it some amazing sceneries. Please enjoy some of them that are brought to us by the harmonious life of men and nature in Japan. – Snow-covered quiet satoyama  – Kazuhiro Eguchi (in Nanto-shi, Toyama Prefecture) Ainokura is a remote village in the Gokayama region, Nanto, Toyama Prefecture. In winter when heavy snow covers its traditional thatched- and steep-roofed gassho-zukuri houses, the village turns monochrome as if it’s a Chinese ink-wash painting. There are two gassho-zukuri villages in Gokayama: Ainokura and Suganuma. In 1995, … Continue reading

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【News】 Prime minister asks for farm co-ops’ cooperation in strengthening agricultural sector (Dec. 26, 2015)

  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday, Dec. 25, asked Choe Okuno, president of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) to cooperate in strengthening competitiveness of the farm sector and increasing farmers’ income. In a meeting held at the prime minister’s office for the first time since August, Abe and Okuno also agreed on the need to nurture ambitious farmers. As the meeting was the first one held after the Trans-Pacific Partnership member countries reached a broad agreement, Okuno urged the government to implement long-term measures to cope with market liberalization expected under the agreement, such as legislating financial assistance to support farmers’ businesses. Okuno and other JA group … Continue reading

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【News】 Seven local specialties registered as food brands protected under geographical indication system (Dec. 23, 2015)

  The government registered seven food items, including Yubari melons and Kobe beef, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, under the government’s geographical indication system to designate and protect region-specific brands. In June, the government began accepting applications from producers to register farm products which are designated as possessing qualities connected to the climate and other characteristics, including traditional manufacturing methods, of specific geographical origin. The registered products will be specially labeled to indicate they have passed through a strict quality control process and to distinguish them from counterfeit products. Until then, only names for liquor items were listed as geographical indications. The producers of the newly registered brands said they hope … Continue reading

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【News】 Colorful banner parade to signal arrival of winter (Dec. 13, 2015)

Kotaro Yamada – Kohata Banner Festival (Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture) – In early December every year, a procession of villagers carrying colorful tall banners walk around the village of Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. The festival is called Kohata Hatamatsuri (banner festival). For Japan, it is one of the important intangible folk cultural assets; for the villagers, the colorful banner parade is the signal of the end of the year and the arrival of the real cold winter. The highlight of the festival is, of course, gigantic banners of up to nine meters long, each made by sawing up long pieces of cloth in five colors of white, red, yellow, green, blue and … Continue reading

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【News】 Japanese wagyu beef calf price soars, topping JPY700,000 in average for the first time (Dec. 3, 2015)

  The average price of Japanese wagyu beef calves topped JPY700,000 for the first time in November, according to the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations’ (JA Zen-Noh) data on calf trading at major livestock markets nationwide. The price rose by as much as 50 percent in the last two years. Market participants attribute the price rise to increased purchase of calves by cattle fattening farms which shipped cattle ahead of the period of highest demand, while the supply continued to be sluggish due to a decline in the number of cattle breeding farms. “Prices of dressed carcasses could drop below costs for cattle fattening farms, as the prices (of … Continue reading

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