【News】Japan and Russia affirm joint activities in Northern Territories (June 20, 2017)

The Japanese and Russian agriculture ministries have affirmed they are carrying out joint agricultural activities on the disputed islands, controlled by Moscow but that have been claimed by Tokyo since the end of World War II. The first meeting took place in Tokyo on June 19, and was co-chaired by senior officials from the two governments. This is part of the agreement reached between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Vladimir Putin at the Japan-Russia summit in December last year. The two countries have not yet signed a peace treaty to end WWII, due to the territorial issue. The four islands stretch from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido to Russia’s … Continue reading

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【News】Ruling party’s Diet members warns governmental officials not to sacrifice agriculture for better automobiles access to EU market (June 17, 2017)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held a meeting of the “Headquarters for Japan EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)” on June 16, chaired by Koya Nishikawa, one of the LDP’s key leaders for agricultural and trade policies. A number of LDP’s Diet members attending the meeting shared a common comment that the field of agriculture must not be sacrificed by that of industry at the ongoing trade negotiations between Japan and the European Union. Regarding a controversial agenda of automobile, the Japan-EU talk is deadlocked since Japan has been calling for elimination of EU’s current tariff of 10 percent on Japanese passenger cars as early as possible. Meanwhile, Japan is … Continue reading

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【News】Representative of Japanese agricultural cooperatives urges ruling party to keep boarder measures in Japan-EU EPA negotiations (June 16, 2017)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) invited representatives of farmers’ organizations on July 15 at a meeting of a group of agriculture, forestry and fishery set up in LDP’s Headquarters for Japan EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to ask for their views about ongoing EPA free trade negotiations. Choe Okuno, president of JA ZENCHU (Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives), an apex body of agricultural cooperatives in Japan, called for protection of domestic agriculture through boarder measures including tariffs so as to enable Japanese farmers to continuously produce major commodities. LDP’s Diet members attending the meeting expressed their views supporting Choe Okuno one after another by urging that a Japan-EU EPA … Continue reading

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【News】Livestock industry stabilization act revised to increase recipients of compensatory subsidies (June 10, 2017)

A bill for the Livestock Industry Management Stabilization Revised Act, including a new system to provide compensatory subsidies to producers of raw milk for manufacturing uses, was passed in a plenary session of the House of Councilors on June 9 by a majority vote with support from the ruling bloc led by the Liberal Democratic Party. The Revised Livestock Stabilization Act, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarded as “the first drastic reform of Japanese dairy farming policy in 50 years,” is to be enforced on April 1, 2018. Under the new compensatory subsidy system, so-called outsider dairy farmers, who have not shipped their fresh milk to designated organizations of dairy farmers, … Continue reading

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【News】JA group presses for keeping farm tariffs amid JP-EU talks(June 15, 2017)

Japan’s most powerful farm group is redoubling efforts to lobby the government as well as the governing Liberal Democratic Party to carve out certain sensitive products from market access commitments. The move comes as Japanese and European leaders are seeking to push through a free trade deal in Brussels early next month. The Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, known as Zenchu, is insisting that any deal between Japan and the EU must maintain tariffs and border measures for agricultural products that are import-sensitive, such as pork and dairy. At the same time, Zenchu is urging the government to inform of any developments in the ongoing negotiations. It says a lack … Continue reading

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