【News】 Local monsters rampage to save Japan (Sept. 2, 2015)

Kazuhiro Eguchi “Local monsters” designed based on local specialties including agricultural products are drawing attentions as new tools for regional promotion. They are a little different from cute local mascot characters (yuru-chara) in how they leave strong impression. The whole project is produced by Dai-Ichi Tsushinsha Inc., an advertising company headquartered in Tokyo, and Hiroshi Sagae, a master art director of special effects films particularly known for his work on the monster film “Gamera.” So far, they already created two dimensional images of 49 monsters and three dimensional models for 23 monsters among them, each inhabits in 46 different prefectures. Several monsters use agricultural products as motif. For example, Twoon … Continue reading

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【News】 JA turns Shinjuku Station virtual veggie shop on “831 (vegetable) day” (Sept. 1, 2015)

A huge virtual vegetable shop appeared in the Shinjuku subway station in Tokyo on August 31, 2015. Several vegetable shelves printed on huge posters were put up on the wall and three-dimensional wraparounds featuring a Japanese radish, corn, sweet potato, and three other vegetables were set up around the columns in the walkway. In Japan, August 31 is “the day of vegetables” because of the similarity in pronunciation of 8, 3 and 1 to the word “ya-sa-i (vegetables)” in Japanese. The creative display that started on the vegetable day was a campaign presented by JA (Japan Agricultural Co-operatives) Group for promoting vegetables grown in Japan. Many including families and foreign … Continue reading

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【News】 Lantern parade gives boost to hometown (Aug. 30, 2015)

Kentarou Tominaga – Paper lantern truck parade (Toyota-shi, Aichi Prefecture)  – August 14, the middle day of Japanese bon holidays in its old calendar, was the day for pickup trucks with big illuminated paper lanterns to parade down the roads in Obara district of Toyota-shi, Aichi Prefecture. The parade is held by local residents to welcome those who are home on holidays and to communicate how attractive and lively their living will be back in their hometown. The event started three years ago in order to encourage people who left the town for schooling or working to come home and enjoy reunion. In 2015, eight pickup trucks paraded down the … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Doubts remain over revised agricultural co-ops law (Aug. 29, 2015)

  The revised Agricultural Co-operative Society Law was passed in the Diet, marking a major shift in the structure of farm co-ops. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration regarded the bill as an important step to turn agriculture into a growth industry. We have pointed out numerous doubts and concerns over the objectives, contents and the impact of the revision, but they were never solved in the Diet deliberations. Farmer members of agricultural co-ops, or JAs, have not fully understood nor are fully convinced of how the law would be revised. We urge the government to continue revising the law so that it truly supports the JA group’s self-reform efforts and … Continue reading

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【News】 Revised agricultural co-ops law ready for approval in Upper House (Aug. 28, 2015)

  The agricultural committee in the Upper House approved the government’s bill to revise the agricultural co-operatives law on Thursday, Aug. 27, with majority support of the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party). The bill is expected to be passed in the Upper House plenary session the following day. Regarding non-farmer members’ use of farm co-ops’ services, the committee adopted an additional resolution calling on the government to fully take into account intentions of the people concerned. This is aimed at eliminating to certain extent future possibilities of the revised law restricting non-farmer members’ use of JAs, which primary JAs had been strongly opposed to. … Continue reading

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