Monthly Archives: October 2014

【News】 Give our reliable mates another chance—NPO’s attempt to reintroduce horse plowing (Oct. 5, 2014)

Kotaro Yamada (Tsuru-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture) A non-profit organization (NPO), Tsuru Environment Forum, is trying to reintroduce the tradition of horse plowing in Tsuru-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture. In late September, the NPO held a seminar for local farmers to learn how to work with horses. During the seminar, one person leads a horse while another holds the plow, following the horse. Many of them had difficulties leading horses. They found that it requires skills to work with the horses in perfect harmony and plowing the field straight is not as easy as they thought. However, the reactions of the farmers were quite positive. Miwako Akiyama, 41, found that the horse plowing is … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture, Photos | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Give our reliable mates another chance—NPO’s attempt to reintroduce horse plowing (Oct. 5, 2014)

【Focus】 Japan-Australia economic partnership agreement – how would it influence domestic industry? (Oct. 3, 2014)

  The government is expected to submit a bill to the current Diet session to approve the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Among the key agricultural items, rice will be exempted from tariff cuts, while tariffs on wheat, beef, some dairy products and sugar will be reviewed in the fifth year after the agreement takes effect. Are the measures under the agreement sufficient to minimize the negative impact on the domestic industry?  Careful discussions are necessary in the Diet to approve the agreement, especially because the Diet resolution which called on the EPA to exclude key farm products from tariff eliminations or set them aside for future renegotiations has become … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture, Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Focus】 Japan-Australia economic partnership agreement – how would it influence domestic industry? (Oct. 3, 2014)