【News】Foreign Ministry and U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization promote safety of Fukushima-made fruit (May 11, 2017)

The Foreign Ministry held a tasting event of sweets made from Fukushima-grown fruit in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on May 10 to promote their safety, inviting Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. The ministry served two kinds of sweets made from Japanese pears and apples produced in Fukushima which won the grand prize in a sweets contest organized by the city of Fukushima since 2014. “At the moment, we don’t see any reason to raise concern about the safety of (Fukushima-made) food,” the director general said, giving high marks to the sweets he tasted. “Six years after the (2011 nuclear) accident, we continue to … Continue reading

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【News】Explore new ways to treasure every encounter with Japanese tea (May 7, 2017)

The number of unique Japanese tea shops is increasing. Those include a shop specialized in flavored tea and a café that serves cups of hand-drip Japanese tea. They are contributing to the expansion of the Japanese tea follower base. Ocharaka is a tea shop located in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. A huge shelf of wooden tea boxes with name tags such as “Baked Apple” and “Rose” occupies one wall of the shop. Inside the boxes are 50 kinds of flavored tea leaves produced based on Japanese tea leaves and dried fruits and flower petals. The shop owner is Stephane Danton, a 52-year-old ex-wine sommelier from France. After he came to Japan, he … Continue reading

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【News】 Parliamentarian League for UN Agricultural Organization set up in Tokyo to support its activities against global malnutrition (May 11, 2017)

An inaugural general meeting of the cross-party Parliamentarian League for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was held in Tokyo on May 10. The Parliamentarian League was set up by about 80 members of the Diet belonging to various parties such as the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito party and the Democratic Party. The League aims at promoting and supporting FAO’s activities which fight against global hunger and malnutrition as well as achieve food security in the world. FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva attended the meeting of the Parliamentarian League to make a presentation about “Food and Nutrition Security in the world and FAO’s roles.” “Farmers … Continue reading

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【News】 Opposition parties criticize Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocating “TPP 11” without U.S. (May 9, 2017)

The Budget Committee of the House of Representatives held a meeting for extensive deliberation on “Abe Cabinet’s fundamental policy” on May 8. At the meeting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his policy on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that Japan will play a leading role in having the TPP free trade pact take effect without the participation of the United States, saying “We will further promote close collaboration among eleven member countries of the TPP by exercising Japan’s leadership in the Pacific Region. I do not rule out any option. I would like to discuss the best way for the TPP with leaders of its member countries.” Prime Minister Abe also … Continue reading

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【News】Grrrr! Wolf-like animal scarer to have sharp eye on uninvited visitors to farms (May 3, 2017)

A new uniquely-shaped animal scarer with gleaming eyes and terrifying roars is now being tested in a fruit farmer in Sapporo city, Hokkaido. The scarer looks so much like a wolf and is named “Monster Wolf.” The “wolf” was developed by Ota Seiki Co., Ltd., a machine parts manufacturer in Naie town, Hokkaido, in order to keep animals like deer and bears away from the farms especially at night. The wolf-like scarer measures 60 centimeters in length. The gleaming eyes are made of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the sounds are provided by a speaker embedded in its head. It turns on and produces approximately 40 different roaring sounds to scare … Continue reading

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