TOKYO, Sept. 19 — Japan will increase financial assistance to enforce strict biosecurity measures to tackle crop pests and diseases at borders, as the rise of serious pests could have a harmful effect on its agricultural production.
The agriculture ministry will request a budget of about 4 billion yen for surveillance and biosecurity in the fiscal year beginning next April.
A growing number of tourists to Japan have brought many benefits in the fragile economy, but they also have posed risks to the biosecurity, officials said.
The ministry plans to supply tablet computers that translate conversations involving multiple languages in real time at new airport terminals dedicated to rapidly growing low-cost carriers (LCC), helping border staff to work on targeted inspections.
Discovery of the beet cyst nematode earlier this month at a farm in Nagano prefecture was the first detection of the beetroot pest in Japan.
The microscopic worms invade the roots of plants and cause swelling in the roots that make it difficult for plants to take in water and nutrients, drastically reducing yields.
In 2015, potato cyst nematode was found in the northern island of Japan for the first time.