Monthly Archives: April 2014

【News】 Foreign firms’ entry into Japan’s solar power business prompts local residents’ concerns over development (April 29, 2014)

  Hiroko Obara Enterprises based in foreign countries such as China are recently expanding purchases of land and forests in Japan to start solar power generation projects. Since there are no obligations for them to consult local governments in advance to set up solar panels, some projects have led to disputes with nearby residents because they have been implemented without local approval. Some worry that the panels could turn into industrial wastes after the feed-in tariff scheme for renewable energy ends, while others are concerned over their possible adverse impact on the ecosystems. In the northern part of Nishigo village in Fukushima Prefecture lies a 130-hectare land which has been … Continue reading

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【News】 Japanese beef to be exported to Europe in May (April 29, 2014)

  Senior Staff Writer,  Masaru Yamada Japanese beef is set to be exported to European Union nations for the first time as early as in May. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has informed the EU that it approved two meat processing facilities in the nation which meet hygiene standards for exporting, and requested the EU to allow beef imports from Japan. To prepare for the shipment of Japanese beef to the European market, the Japan External Trade Organization plans to hold a business meeting for buyers in Paris and London in June. Although Wagyu beef produced outside of Japan is already marketed in European countries, people “have strong … Continue reading

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【News】 Japan-Australia EPA can be revised if Japan agrees on lower tariffs for U.S. farm products (April 25, 2014)

  Masaru Yamada The Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement, which was concluded in principle on Monday, April 7, includes clauses which allow the two nations to revise the agreement if Japan decides to offer lower tariffs on agricultural products from other countries such as the United States, it was learned Thursday, April 24. The existence of such clauses indicates the possibility that if Japan makes big compromises in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations with the U.S., Australia will urge Japan to revise the EPA to further lower tariffs. According to government officials of the two countries, the EPA “does not include specific most-favored-nation provisions on goods.” However, the agreement say there “are … Continue reading

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【News】 National Agriculture and Food Research Organization to evaluate risk factors in walking tractor-related fatalities (April 24, 2014)

  National Agriculture and Food Research Organization will set on a three-year survey in fiscal 2014 to analyze risk factors behind deaths due to walking tractor accidents, in an effort to come up with safety measures. Walking tractors come in various sizes and structures, and are used in various situations including tilling, ploughing and hilling. The organization will analyze different causes of accidents, such as shifting into wrong gear, tractor overturning or handlebars suddenly jumping up. Walking tractor-related fatalities occupy only a little more than 10 percent of total agricultural work-related deaths, but they occupy nearly 20 percent of all agricultural machinery-related fatalities, the largest percentage next to deaths related … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Japan must protect its key agricultural products (April 23, 2014)

  U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Japan on Wednesday, April 23, and hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the following day. One of the main issues on the agenda is the treatment of tariffs on Japan’s key agricultural products in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks. The United States continues to demand high-level market liberalization. We can never allow the government to make political decisions and largely compromise for the sake of reaching basic agreement. Farmers and citizens are holding protest rallies day after day in various places and asking the government to keep the resolutions approved by the Diet. Abe should meet Obama with … Continue reading

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