Farm damage from Japan’s heavy rain in excess of 100bln yen

TOKYO, Aug. 26 ─ Estimates of agricultural losses caused by heavy rainfall this summer in Japan have risen to 103 billion yen, according to the agriculture ministry. The early estimates in July were about 33 billion yen worth of damages to the farming industry. Based on current information, the loss estimates considered are: farming land and facilities, 56 billion yen; forest crops, 40 billion; agriculture products, 7 billion. The deluge had devastating effects on farmers in affected areas, especially the southern island of Kyushu that was hardest hit after huge floods wrecked hundreds of houses, roads and rice fields. The ministry has announced that it will apply a new farm … Continue reading

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Sumibon newly-styled bonsai art becoming hot fresh local specialty in Nagano Prefecture

A new type of bonsai produced by a youth dispatched to a local government in Nagano Prefecture through a program called “the local community development caravan” is now gathering attention for its potential of becoming a new local specialty. The producer of the new form of bonsai art, called sumibon in Japanese, is Tomonobu Asano, 35. Currently, he works in Nobushina, Nagano Prefecture, mainly to make better use of idle lands. Asano, who started to help the region in June last year, learned one day that an 82-year-old local rice farmer, Chikao Sekiguchi, makes charcoal on his own and enjoys sumibon as his hobby. Then, the two men worked together … Continue reading

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ZEN-NOH to sell more agricultural and livestock products overseas via newly online shop in largest internet shopping mall in Hong Kong

TOKYO, August 29―National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (ZEN-NOH) began selling Japanese agricultural and livestock products online in Hong Kong, Japan’s largest export market of agricultural, forest and fishery products and food. According to an announcement on August 28, 2017, the federation of agricultural cooperatives in Japan has opened an online store for Japanese agricultural and livestock products in HKTVmall, the biggest online shopping mall in Hong Kong. ZEN-NOH wants to explore new markets and boost exports of Japanese agricultural and livestock products overseas. In April this year, ZEN-NOH placed a new division dedicated to the promotion of the export of Japanese agricultural products and decided to have ZEN-NOH International … Continue reading

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The Japan Agricultural News survey shows government support rate drops to 33 percent, with 70 percent giving low grades to farm policies

TOKYO, Aug. 24 – Thirty-three percent of respondents of The Japan Agricultural News survey supported Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration, while 67 percent said they don’t support the administration, the highest disapproval rate since Abe came into power in 2012. As the reason for not supporting the Abe administration, the largest percentage of people – nearly 60 percent – gave their distrust for Abe, apparently having in mind the government’s eagerness to conduct drastic overhaul of the agriculture industry and the lack of sufficient explanation regarding a controversial approval of a new veterinary department by school operator Kake Gauen. The survey was conducted in August on 511 readers of The … Continue reading

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Japan opposes China’s ‘Nishio Matcha’ trademark application

NISHIO, Aug. 23 ─ Japan’s Nishio Tea Cooperative has filed its opposition to a trademark application in China in an attempt to prevent it from registering “Nishio Matcha,” the brand name of finely ground green tea from central Japan. The Nishio Tea Cooperative, a group of tea makers and retailers in Nishio and Anjo cities of Aichi prefecture, filed on Aug. 21 a notice of opposition with the Chinese trademark office. The Chinese office is expected to make its decision about the application within a year, the Japanese cooperative said. The Nishio cooperative exported about 100 tons of matcha in 2016, accounting for about 20 percent of the total production … Continue reading

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