【News】 Shrinking production of non-GM soybeans abroad gives a headache to Japanese importers (Sept. 3, 2013)

Kazuhiro Takamatsu Japanese trading firms are having difficulty coping with supply shortage of imported non-GM soybeans which Japanese consumers prefer. Production of non-GM soybeans are declining, as the bad weather and increase of demand in emerging markets are pushing up soybean prices in the global market, prompting farmers to move away from time-consuming production of non-GM soybeans. Soybean dealers, also hit by the weakening yen leading to rising prices of imports, are turning to domestically-produced soybeans and are calling on the government to take measures to encourage soybean production. An official of a major Japanese trading company which imports non-GM soybeans from the United States and Canada says all the … Continue reading

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【News】 Pressure to open markets strengthens as Brunei round of TPP talks ends (Sept. 1, 2013)

  Shingo Oka – Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam Participants of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks ended discussions in two working group sessions on Saturday, August 31, concluding the 19th round of negotiations held in Brunei. Japan has also held one-on-one sessions with nine member countries on market access including elimination of tariffs, and presented to six of them its first offers of items subject to lowering or abolishment of tariffs. But the countries reportedly asked for higher trade liberalization rates, indicating that Japan will be under increasing pressure to make difficult decisions concerning tariff cuts as the members work to reach broad agreement before the TPP leaders’ meeting scheduled … Continue reading

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【News】 Nagasaki-based firm to sell five-colored rice to support Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic bid (Sept. 1, 2013)

Rintaro Someya Mindbank, a venture firm based in Sasebo, Nagasaki prefecture, created rice dyed in five colors of the Olympic rings to support Tokyo’s bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. As a last-minute cheering effort ahead of the selection of the host city, scheduled on Sunday, September 8, 65-year-old Mindbank President Toshio Shimoyama said he wants to appeal to the world Japan’s staple food and the nation’s high-quality processing technology. The product is made by coating pre-washed grains of Nagasaki-grown Koshihikari brand rice with powders made from vegetables grown in the area, using the firm’s own method. The red powder is made from red peppers, green from spinaches, yellow … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 TPP talks in a crucial phase – government should disclose information and present clear negotiation policies (Aug. 31, 2013)

  The Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks have entered its crucial phase, as negotiators seek to come to agreement by the end of this year. In the 19th round of TPP talks which ended in Brunei on Friday, August 30, the 12 participating countries issued a joint statement to reaffirm their commitment to speed up negotiations. The talks again gave the impression that they are a hasty, secretive rule-making process led by the United States. The Brunei talks were the first round of negotiations which Japan has participated fully, and the Japanese government is facing a difficult task as a latecomer to make a political decision on sensitive matters in a … Continue reading

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【News】 TPP participants say Japan’s tariff cut offers are insufficient (Aug. 30, 2013)

  Takanori Okabe – Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam Many of the countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations said Japan’s list of tariff cut offers is insufficient and called for further market-opening measures, sources said Thursday, August 29. In the current round of TPP negotiations which started in Brunei on Thursday, August 22, Japan has by Wednesday, August 28, held one-on-one sessions with nine member countries concerning issues of market access including tariffs. Japanese negotiators reportedly presented their first batch of proposals to lower or eliminate tariffs on around 80 percent of total traded items within a certain time period, but did not include the five key agricultural products … Continue reading

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