【Opinion】 Fragile”alliance of hope”could be a pie in the sky (May 5, 2015)

Senior special writer, Masaru Yamada Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to Japan on Sunday, May 3, after a visit to the United States which included a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and a speech at the U.S. Congress. Abe seems satisfied with the fact that he and Obama could reaffirm the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance. However, Abe’s remarks made in Washington indicate nothing but Japan’s intention to follow the U.S. global strategy like a shadow in every aspect from foreign and military policies to economics. For two months in the end of last year, the writer interviewed people from farm lobbying groups in Washington concerning the Trans-Pacific Partnership … Continue reading

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【News】 Carp-shaped streamers fly over rice paddies in cool breeze (May 3, 2015)

Kotaro Yamada – Iki-iki Yamada Koinobori Festival (Katori-shi, Chiba Prefecture) – In late April every year, the village in Katori-shi, Chiba Prefecture, turns colorful with rows of 200 carp-shaped streamers flying over rice paddies and local farmers doing their usual jobs, puddling soil and planting rice. The scene is already one of the early-summer features of the village. “I feel so good when planting rice sometimes looking up at Koinobori,” said Toshihiro Sugaya, 62, as he stopped his hands and smiled. He is a local farmer whose paddies are right under the great Koinobori display. The villagers of Katori-shi or the village previously called Yamada-cho decorate the area with Koinobori streamers … Continue reading

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【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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