EU proposes Japan delink investment protection from accord

TOKYO, Oct. 14 — Japanese s trade officials have met their counterparts from the European Commission to find a compromise over a controversial proposed investment protection provision. They met in Tokyo on Oct. 13 to discuss the so-called investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) provision. The two sides hope to conclude the deal by the end of this year. The ISDS provision allows foreign investors or companies to sue governments over regulations if they allegedly harm their investments. Tokyo is eager to include the ISDS, which is also part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and other trade agreements with Japan. But Brussels wants the ISDS system to be replaced with a … Continue reading

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Japanese food producers explore new markets at food expo

CHIBA, Oct. 12 — About 300 Japanese food producers have participated at the national export food fair, taking place at the Makuhari Messe, a convention hall in Chiba city, east of Tokyo, from Oct. 11 to 13. This was the first government-backed export food fair, in line with efforts to help Japanese agri-food producers to promote their products in overseas markets and secure new export opportunities. The Japanese government has set a target to boost the annual value of agricultural exports to 1 trillion yen by 2020. The expo featured some 20,000 food items, including Japanese pears, green tea powder and long-life UHT milk. More than 1,000 buyers from 66 … Continue reading

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Japan-grown fig tempura is now on food chain Tenya’s menu

ASAKURA, Oct. 11 — A Japanese agriculture cooperative in the southern island of Kyushu has teamed up with the fast food tempura chain, Tendon Tenya, using a locally-produced fruit: Fig tempura. The Japanese tempura bowl operator has a typical menu that consists of a bowl of rice topped with tempura. Toiling with six months of trial and error, the food chain developed the new product, using “Toyomitsu-hime” figs produced by JA Chikuzen Asakura, the agricultural cooperative in Asakura city, Fukuoka prefecture. The new fruit tempura is now on the menu at Tendon Tenya until Oct. 30. A portion of the sales will be donated to northern Kyushu areas that were … Continue reading

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Cool Japan Fund to open Japanese food shops in Europe with first one opening in London in 2018

TOKYO, Oct. 4 – Cool Japan Fund (CJF), a public-private fund for boosting overseas demand for Japanese products and services, announced on October 3, 2017, a plan to support the opening of a series of Japanese restaurants and grocery stores equipped with open kitchens  in Europe. It plans to open the first grocery store in London during the first half of 2018, and possibly, second and third ones in Paris and Milan shortly after. The expansion into Europe will hopefully allow the fund to deliver the Japanese food culture to more consumers, sell groceries from all over Japan in overseas markets, and promote the export of agricultural products from Japan. … Continue reading

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“Nominsha” custom cars for onion farmers with unique shapes and functions making their ways on Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture

Hyogo, Oct. 1 — Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture is famous in Japan for its onions, and there on the island, you’ll see a lot of unusual-looking vehicles called farmers’ cars or nominsha in Japanese, custom cars which are built at local iron works by hand-assembling automotive parts and components taken from used automobiles. One of the distinctive features shared by all nominsha vehicles is its extraordinary mobility. This is created by combining extra large tires taken from construction vehicles and engines from used passengers vehicles so that the drivers can go up and down easily across the ridges. No other vehicle can drive directly in the onion fields for … Continue reading

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