【Editorial】 Let farmers hand down the importance of food(Jan. 3, 2016)

An old Chinese saying goes: “His people are of the utmost importance to a king, food is of the utmost importance to people.” As well as meaning that wellbeing of his people should be of utmost concern for a ruler, this saying points out the Chinese people’s respect for their food culture. There is a similar saying shoku wa nuchigusui in Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan, meaning food is medicine that gives people the power to live. In Okinawa, not only farmers but ordinary people cultivate gardens, sow seeds and harvest crops. Respect for food is handed down from generation to generation. However, recent situation regarding food is in a … Continue reading

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【Feature】Winter beauty of harmonic life of man and nature in Japan (Jan. 1, 2016)

  The landscape of Japanese farm villages changes dramatically from season to season. Winter in Japan is generally very cold, but even the cold weather brings with it some amazing sceneries. Please enjoy some of them that are brought to us by the harmonious life of men and nature in Japan. – Snow-covered quiet satoyama  – Kazuhiro Eguchi (in Nanto-shi, Toyama Prefecture) Ainokura is a remote village in the Gokayama region, Nanto, Toyama Prefecture. In winter when heavy snow covers its traditional thatched- and steep-roofed gassho-zukuri houses, the village turns monochrome as if it’s a Chinese ink-wash painting. There are two gassho-zukuri villages in Gokayama: Ainokura and Suganuma. In 1995, … Continue reading

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【News】 Prime minister asks for farm co-ops’ cooperation in strengthening agricultural sector (Dec. 26, 2015)

  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday, Dec. 25, asked Choe Okuno, president of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) to cooperate in strengthening competitiveness of the farm sector and increasing farmers’ income. In a meeting held at the prime minister’s office for the first time since August, Abe and Okuno also agreed on the need to nurture ambitious farmers. As the meeting was the first one held after the Trans-Pacific Partnership member countries reached a broad agreement, Okuno urged the government to implement long-term measures to cope with market liberalization expected under the agreement, such as legislating financial assistance to support farmers’ businesses. Okuno and other JA group … Continue reading

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【News】 Seven local specialties registered as food brands protected under geographical indication system (Dec. 23, 2015)

  The government registered seven food items, including Yubari melons and Kobe beef, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, under the government’s geographical indication system to designate and protect region-specific brands. In June, the government began accepting applications from producers to register farm products which are designated as possessing qualities connected to the climate and other characteristics, including traditional manufacturing methods, of specific geographical origin. The registered products will be specially labeled to indicate they have passed through a strict quality control process and to distinguish them from counterfeit products. Until then, only names for liquor items were listed as geographical indications. The producers of the newly registered brands said they hope … Continue reading

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【Opinion】 Imitating American style is not a way to build strong agricultural sector (Dec. 21, 2015)

  Tatsuru Uchida, philosopher and martial artist For the past decade, I have been offering an adult education program at my school. This year’s theme is comparative institutional analysis, in which attendants compare mechanisms of specific sectors in Japan and foreign countries. The theme was set to let attendants realize that some mechanisms regarded by Japanese people as the norm are actually something unique and unparalleled in other countries. The other day, one of the attendants gave a presentation on the comparison of agricultural protection policies in Japan and the United States. A former worker at a multinational enterprise, he moved to a mountainous area in Hyogo Prefecture to engage … Continue reading

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