Category Archives: Food & Agriculture

TOKYO, Nov. 4 -Farmers are facing immense hardship this winter. The rising oil prices are driving up the cost of farming materials made from fuel oil and petroleum products. With the prices of fertilizers and feeds continuing to rise, farmers in Japan are facing quadruple difficulties. The overall production cost is increasing, but they can’t reflect the additional burden on the prices of agricultural products. -Farmers trying to save crude oil as much as possible Kunihiko Sunouchi, a 44-year-old green pepper grower in Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture, filled his oil tank in mid-October, about two weeks earlier than usual. Green peppers require more precise temperature control than other vegetables, and … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Oct. 7 – New agriculture minister Genjiro Kaneko asked for an aggressive review of farm policies in a speech in front of the ministry’s senior officials on Oct. 6. “The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector is the nation’s basis that supports regional economy and society,” Kaneko said. “I hope you will be free from the conventional approach and review policies aggressively. I want to bring together our wisdom.” Kaneko listed the challenges faced by the sector, including a decline in the number of farms and shrinking demand for farm produce amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “The importance of the role which the farm ministry should play is increasing even more,” … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Oct. 5 – Fumio Kishida, president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was elected the 100th prime minister at the extraordinary Diet session held on Oct. 4. Kishida launched his Cabinet the same day and appointed Genjiro Kaneko, former chair of the Upper House Budget Committee, as the new agriculture minister. Kishida asked Kaneko to swiftly compile measures to stabilize supply-demand balance of rice amid declining rice prices. The new prime minister said at a news conference that the top priority will be given to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the government will put together economic measures to support people and businesses affected by the pandemic. The government … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sep. 11 – Estimated agriculture, forestry, and fishery loss caused by the heavy rainfall continued from August 11 in Japan have risen to 65.7 billion yen, the farm ministry said on September 10, 2021. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) confirmed damages on farming land and facilities and agricultural products in 39 prefectures. The early estimate as of August 6 was around 59.1 billion yen. The survey is still ongoing and likely to reveal a further rise in the number, according to MAFF. The estimate as of September 17 is 65.67 billion yen. Those in two prefectures for which the heavy rain emergency warning was … Continue reading →