TOKYO, March. 27 ― Japan has filled a guaranteed share of the U.S.’s annual tariff rate quota (TRQ) for wagyu beef imports as of March 20, highlighting strong demand for Japanese beef in the U.S. According to data released by the United States Customs and Border Protection on March 26, Japanese exporters already used up the U.S. 200-ton TRQ of wagyu beef in three months this year. That was three weeks earlier, compared with last year, which filled the quota on April 10, 2018. Once Japan hits the quota limit, the U.S. tariff on Japanese beef imports will rise to a 26.4 percent tariff of the export value, from the … Continue reading →

TOKYO, March. 22 ― Strong sales of Japanese wagyu beef to the U.S. have made exporters almost use up tariff rate quota (TRQ) in three months this year, triggering a 26.4 percent out-of-quota tariff rate on exports into the U.S. According to data released by the United States Customs and Border Protection, Japan exported 197.6 metric tons of wagyu beef to the U.S. as of March 18, reaching 99 percent of its 200 metric tons of U.S. annual TRQ. The pace of the Japanese beef exports to the U.S. has been accelerating over the years. In 2016, wagyu beef exports filled the quota in November. They filled it in the … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 19 – The committee for the UN Declaration for the Rights of Peasants and the Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 in Japan held a meeting at the members’ office building for the house of councilors in Nagata-cho, Tokyo, on February 18.  The network of academic leaders and civil groups gathered to explain the reality surrounding small farmers and their problems and make sure that they are reflected in future governmental policy, as the UN Decade of Family Farming is starting this year. The meeting was attended by approximately 100 farmers and researchers, who gathered in Tokyo to discuss the matters with government officials. Shushi Okazaki addressed “the proposals … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 21 – Cases of illegal imports of meat products such as sausages and ham by Chinese travelers to Japan totaled 42,280 in 2018, increasing 1.5 times in three years to mark the largest figure in the last decade, according to the agriculture ministry statistics. Because an African swine fever outbreak has recently been reported in China and there is a fear that the virus could spread through pork products, the ministry has been calling on visitors to follow the rules that ban travelers from bringing in meat products without inspection. The cases of such products illegally entering the country, however, have not declined. The ministry estimates that around … Continue reading →