Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

  The government decided on Thursday, December 19, to increase in fiscal 2014 all subsidies to dairy farmers and livestock breeders, including funds to producers of milk for processing and to those who rear cows with high breeding value. Subsidy for producers of milk for processing will be raised to JPY 12.8 per kilogram, up JPY 0.25, with JPY 0.2 added for fiscal 2014 only. The government will allocate JPY 400 million for organizations which conduct inspections to improve breeding management. Subsidy for producers of milk used to manufacture cheese is increased to JPY 15.41 per kilogram. The increase in subsidies for milk producers, when calculated in terms of milk … Continue reading →

  The Japan Agricultural Cooperatives and its national political body held a rally in Tokyo on Tuesday, December 17, to urge the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to increase budget spending for agriculture, as fiscal 2014 will be the beginning year for the government’s 10-year plan to double farmers’ incomes and the introduction of Japanese-style direct payment system for rice farmers. Some 500 JA members and 140 Diet members who attended the meeting agreed to demand that the government allocate more than JPY 2.56 trillion on agriculture, equivalent to the amount allocated for fiscal 2009, the time before the power takeover by the Democratic Party of Japan. The … Continue reading →

  The government last week announced its agricultural policy plan for the next decade, which includes specific measures to meet its goal of doubling farmers’ incomes in 10 years. However, the plan is scheduled to be revised by June next year to reflect the ongoing discussions by the government’s Council for Industrial Competitiveness and the Council for Regulatory Reform. The debate on agricultural reform, which began after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office a year ago, will continue, as the future vision of agricultural structure, including how to define ambitious farmers, remains ambiguous. The plan, aimed at revitalizing the agricultural industry and rural villages to have growth potential, comprises four … Continue reading →

  “Washoku” traditional Japanese cuisine has been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list Wednesday, December 4, raising the nation’s hopes of enhancing its global recognition and boosting exports of its agricultural products. The Japanese government’s proposal was formally approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at a meeting of its Intergovernmental Committee in Baku, Azerbajan. The move comes as the country faces the spread of Western eating habits and washoku dims in popularity, leading to a decline in rice consumption. The government hopes the registration will provide an opportunity for Japanese people to reevaluate the value of washoku, and plans to make efforts nationwide to pass … Continue reading →