【News】Explore globally important agricultural heritage on roofless train (in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture) (May 21, 2017)

In Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, a touristic train runs along the tracks of the former Takachiho Railway, which stopped operating in 2008. It’s becoming popular as a train to enjoy the great views of Takachihogo-Shiibayama area, which is one of the World’s Agricultural Heritages in Japan. The cart will make a round trip between Takachiho Station and the stop beyond the 105-meter high Takachiho Iron Bridge. The cart is named “Grand Super Cart” and has one roofless carriage for 30 passengers and two diesel-powered traction trains on the both ends. The 5.1-kilometer round trip will take approximately 30 minutes. The train left the station, slowly passed through the fields and forests … Continue reading

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【News】Come and see faces of pioneering tractors in Hokkaido at Tsuchi-no-Yakata museum in Kamifurano town, Hokkaido(May 14, 2017)

A tractor is a useful vehicle when you are to plow or carry something heavy in the fields. However, for many farmers, it’s also something special that they enjoy its appearance and feel personal attachment to. Tsuchi-no-Yakata is a museum in Kamifurano town, Hokkaido, where you can meet those old-time tractors and learn the history of farming tools. Seventy two units of old tractors in different colors and distinctive designs sit in neat rows. The oldest one in the collection is a steam-powered traction engine built in 1902, and the latest one is a Russian-made tractor built in 1980. Most of them on display were actually used and donated by … Continue reading

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【News】PM Shinzo Abe says Japan will lead TPP-11 talks in July(May 31, 2017)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said Japan will lead Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks when senior trade officials from 11 TPP signatories gather in Japan in July. “Japan has a vital role to step up the pace and advance the talks,” Abe told the ministers who attended the cabinet meeting on May 30. Japan will chair the TPP-11 meeting in July, expecting to take place in Hakone, a lake resort near Tokyo. At the May ministerial meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, the 11 TPP countries agreed to explore options on how the TPP deal is being implemented without the United States. They aim to decide on these at the November Asia-Pacific … Continue reading

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【News】Japan, EU seeking to reach free-trade deal in July, sources say(June 1, 2017)

Negotiators from Tokyo and Brussels are seeking to reach a Japan-EU free trade deal in early July, as they are trying to settle disagreements, including market access for European exporters into Japan’s agricultural markets, say sources. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and European leaders are expected to summon the political will needed to iron out their differences over Japan’s most sensitive agricultural products, such as dairy and pork, at the sideline of the July 7-8 G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. A senior official meeting will take place in June, and it is expected to focus on outstanding issues. Informed sources said Japanese government officials are optimistic as they see a … Continue reading

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【News】Japan’s Ministry of agriculture to revise wheat import system by creating “SBS import quota” (May 28, 2017)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) plans to revise its wheat import program this October by adapting so-called SBS or a Simultaneous Buy and Sell System to 200 thousand tons of wheat to be imported within a maximum current access of 5.74 tons in a year. Under the new SBS system, Japanese flour millers will be able to import any types of wheat from trading firms in exporting countries through their direct contracts. Wheat has been imported under the state trading system in principle. The Japanese government purchases major five types of wheat including Australian standard white under the current access commitment, and sells them to domestic flour … Continue reading

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