TOKYO, Feb. 28 ― Japan’s total beef imports jumped 42 percent in January, one month after the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) without the U.S., also known as TPP-11, began, illustrating meat exporters enjoy the landmark trade deal in the Japanese market. According to the finance ministry, beef imports amounted to 50,574 metric tons in January, compared with 35,631 metric tons in the same month a year earlier. The January figure was the highest month in the past 10 years. “It is unusual to break the 50,000 ton of barrier in January, a month that is not particularly the period for strong demand of beef in Japan,” said an official from a … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 14 ― Japan has found African swine fever virus in pork products that were carried into two airports by visitors coming from Beijing and Tsingtao in January, highlighting growing concerns over the spread of the highly contagious disease in Asia. The Japanese agriculture ministry said that the pork products were collected from visitors arriving at Narita Airport on Jan. 24 and Fukuoka Airport, southern Japan, on Jan. 27. Genetic testing at an animal quarantine station detected the disease virus in samples of the products on Feb. 7, according to the ministry. They became No. 9 and No. 10 cases where the African swine fever virus were found in … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 13 ― A Japanese farmers’ group has organized a food fair that aims to promote products that use domestically produced wheat and barley at a permanent exhibition center in Tokyo. The National Rice Wheat and Barley Improvement Association offers the space, where food makers can showcase their latest products that use Japanese-grown wheat and barley to visitors from Feb. 12 till 19. The Tokyo outlet, called Mugi kurabe, has a fully-equipped kitchen and a place to display locally-produced new products and seating areas to eat them. The association also offers serving staff and transport costs for small businesses or growers to present their products. Japanese wheat consumption has … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 23 ― The EU will open doors to Japanese eggs and egg products, such as mayonnaise and cakes, the Japanese agriculture ministry has said. Some egg products, which was on the exemption list by the European Commission in January, can enter into the EU market as early as Feb. 24. But products whose egg and dairy products content amounts to 50 percent and above will have to meet the EU’s restrict standards, including the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and animal welfare. The announcement came within a month when the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) came into effect on Feb. 01. The trade deal is dubbed … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Feb. 9 ― Japan’s food exports rose for the sixth consecutive year of growth, breaking the 900 billion yen barrier for the first time in its history, preliminary data has showed. Total shipments of agriculture products, processed foods and seafood rose 12% to 906.8 billion yen in 2018 from a year earlier, thanks to largely to appetite for wagyu beef and fruits in neighboring Asian countries, the agriculture ministry said. The data suggests that a target of 1 trillion yen of farm exports in 2019 is achievable, if an annual growth rate grows 10.3% this year. The primary agricultural products, which constitute half of total agricultural exports, increased 14% … Continue reading →