【News】Japanese government urges local governments to get agricultural high schools certified with “Good Agricultural Practice” (May 23, 2017)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) jointly notified prefectural governments on May 17 to persuade agricultural high schools to provide students with education on “Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).” MAFF and MEXT point out in the notification that GAP will be useful for the students to enhance their qualities and abilities necessary for growing themselves up to human resources who have both production skills and a sense of business management. The notification also suggests that students should be provided not only with lessons on GAP, but also with opportunities to practice the GAP at school farms. All the … Continue reading

Posted in Farm Policy, Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on 【News】Japanese government urges local governments to get agricultural high schools certified with “Good Agricultural Practice” (May 23, 2017)

【Research】Structural change in core farmers engaged in land-extensive farming and challenges faced by agricultural cooperatives’ group in Japan

January 1st, 2017 Norinchukin Research Institute Co., Ltd. UCHIDA Takio, Senior Chief Researcher ■Abstract From 2015 Census of Agriculture and Forestry, we can find out that farmers belonging to so-called Showa single-digit generation, who were born in the first decade of the Showa period (1926 and 1934) and sustained post-war Japanese agriculture, increasingly retired from farming in a very short period. (1) This phenomenon is observed in a beginning of decreases not only in commercial farm households, but also in small-scale farm households (a total number of non-commercial farm households and land tenure non-farm households). On the other hand, (2) organized farm management entities, which became cultivators of farm lands … Continue reading

Posted in Research | Comments Off on 【Research】Structural change in core farmers engaged in land-extensive farming and challenges faced by agricultural cooperatives’ group in Japan

【News】Five national organizations of primary and commerce industries unite with agreement on regional revitalization (May 20, 2017)

JA ZENCHU (Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives), an apex organization of agricultural cooperatives (JAs) in Japan, and other four national organizations representing interests of forestry, fishery, commerce and local industries made an agreement on May 19 to further promote regional revitalization in the country. These five national organizations wish to maintain and develop the economy of rural areas by promoting local industries and tourism through collaboration among different industries for initiating new business activities such as so-called “AFFrinnovation” or sixth industrialization of agriculture and other primary industries. After a signing ceremony of the agreement, Choe Okuno, JA ZENCHU’s president emphasized the importance of its implementation, saying “Various industries supporting regional … Continue reading

Posted in Cooperatives | Comments Off on 【News】Five national organizations of primary and commerce industries unite with agreement on regional revitalization (May 20, 2017)

【News】Japan Rice Flour Association to inaugurate activities in Tokyo on May 25 (May 20, 2017)

“Japan Rice Flour Association” will be set up in Tokyo on May 25 by more than 50 individuals and organizations including agricultural cooperatives, consumers’ organizations, food-related business operators, gourmet scholars, and academics. The Association aims at stimulating demands for rice flour as well as promoting development of its items by spreading not only a new standard for categorizing Japanese rice flour according to its uses into three classifications, rice flour for cakes, rice flour for bread and rice flour for noodle, but also a labelling standard for “non-gluten rice flour” without any gluten contained, which standards were recently fixed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. For the purpose … Continue reading

Posted in Food & Agriculture | Comments Off on 【News】Japan Rice Flour Association to inaugurate activities in Tokyo on May 25 (May 20, 2017)

【News】Members of Japan’s ruling party urge Shinzo-Abe’s administration to take cautious attitude toward U.S.-less TPP talks (May 18, 2017)

The Japan’s ruling party, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), held a meeting of its Headquarters for Implementation of TPP Comprehensive Measures on May 17, prior to a ministerial meeting of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to be organized in Vietnam on May 21. At the meeting, Nobuteru Ishihara, Minister in charge of TPP, expressed his concerns by emphasizing “If a new course of direction of the U.S.-less TPP is not worked out, eleven member countries will go their separate ways.” “We would not like to rule out any option. I will lead the talks with counterparts of TPP 11 countries at a meeting in Vietnam to find out the best way of … Continue reading

Posted in Farm Policy, Trade Talks | Comments Off on 【News】Members of Japan’s ruling party urge Shinzo-Abe’s administration to take cautious attitude toward U.S.-less TPP talks (May 18, 2017)