【Editorial】 Japan and U.S. should not use rise of China as means to rush into TPP deal (May 1, 2015)

  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama confirmed their determination to realize an early conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks. We cannot overlook the fact that during his visit to the United States, Abe never made clear he would protect Japan’s key agricultural products. When Japan decided to join the talks, the two leaders recognized that both countries have bilateral trade sensitivities, such as certain agricultural products and manufactured products. We must get back to the basics. The Diet should criticize Abe’s hasty attitude, and the government should respond to skepticism among the Japanese people by disclosing information. On Tuesday, April 28, Abe held a … Continue reading

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【News】 Food manufacturers focusing on onomatopoeia to promote mouthfeel (April 28, 2015)

“Pari,” (crisp) “puchi” (pop) and “saku saku” (crunch)  – these are some of the onomatopoeia, or words that imitate sounds, that Japanese food manufacturers recently highlight to advertise the mouthfeel of their products. More and more food makers are making use of a rich vocabulary of onomatopoeia in the Japanese language to attract new customers and boost sales of their existing lineup of items. Companies are introducing unique campaigns, such as asking consumers to taste their product and vote on what they think is the most appropriate term to express its mouthfeel, or offering recipes which make the most of their products’ texture. Tokyo-based Morinaga Milk Industry Co. is conducting … Continue reading

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【Opinion】 Bill to revise farm co-ops law infringes on non-farmer members’ rights (April 20, 2015)

  Masaaki Ishida The goals of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s agricultural co-operatives reform are to dismantle comprehensive business services of the co-ops, just like in the case of postal services. Although primary JAs may look the same on the surface after the reform, their businesses will be split up inside into different organizations such as farm co-ops specializing in sales and purchases, credit and mutual aid agencies and co-operative corporations. An ingenious scheme to lead JAs into overhauling themselves can be seen in the proposal to restrict non-farmer members’ use of JAs’ services. If such a rule is created, JAs’ businesses widely used by non-farmer members, such as credit and … Continue reading

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【News】 Enjoy your big day in town blessed with scent of flowers (April 19, 2015)

Kazuhiro Eguchi – Peach Garden Wedding (Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture) – If you want to make your wedding something very special, how about getting married in Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture, surrounded by peach flowers in full bloom? It’s a “Peach Garden Wedding” proposed by farmers in Japan’s famous peach-growing town and a non-profit organization (NPO), Fuefuki Shunkan Net. The town of Fuefuki is located on the east of the Kofu basin and has a delta that stretches from Mts. Misaka and is formed by the Fuefuki River. The “Peach Garden Wedding” can take place in April when the town filled with peach gardens turns pink as hundreds of thousands of peach flowers … Continue reading

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【News】 Team “Miss ichigo” to share love for strawberry – Group of 15 girls helping strawberry promotions nationwide (April 19, 2015)

Fifteen girls have teamed up as a group to help strawberry promotions all over Japan. The name of the group is “Miss ichigo (Miss Strawberry).” A kick-off meeting was held on April 18, 2015, at a hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where the girls thoroughly enjoyed all kinds of strawberry cakes prepared by confectioners. The project is produced by Yutaka Saito, 44, president of Little World Inc. and a planner specialized in the sixtiary sector. At Little World, he organizes events and outlets for food and food distribution services. “We’ll hold events at strawberry farms and deliver video contents featuring Miss ichigo on the Internet in order to add value to strawberries,” he … Continue reading

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