Japan makes efforts to protect domestically-developed strawberry varieties abroad

TOKYO, Sept. 23 – As some domestically-developed strawberry varieties are being produced in other Asian countries without permission, Japanese authorities are stepping up measures to protect the varieties. The Shizuoka Prefectural Government is working to register Kirapika, a new strawberry variety developed in the prefecture, in China, South Korea and Taiwan. Kirapika was registered in Japan this year after 17 years of development, and the prefecture plans to increase its production with the aim of making it the leading brand of Shizuoka which ranks fourth in Japan in terms of strawberry production volume. The prefecture is rushing to register the variety abroad, as it learned a bitter lesson from the … Continue reading

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ILO Tokyo Office holds public seminar with Japanese cooperative organizations: cooperative activities and sustainable development goals

TOKYO, Sept. 8 – United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Japan co-organized a public seminar on September 7 at Nagata-cho in Tokyo with Japan Joint Committee of Cooperatives (JJC), an apex body of an organizational network of various cooperatives in Japan. The seminar was held to learn about roles to be played by cooperatives in achieving “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” that were adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of the 2030 New Sustainable Development Agenda. Simel Esim, Head of the Cooperatives Unit at the ILO Headquarters in Geneva, made a presentation on expected … Continue reading

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African cooperative leaders visit Shizuoka prefecture in Japan to find out activities of Shimizu Agricultural Cooperative

SHIZUOKA, Sept. 2 – Leaders of cooperative organizations in African countries had a study trip at Shimizu Agricultural Cooperative, called as JA Shimizu, to observe activities carried out by Japanese farmers at their cooperative. They came to Tokyo to learn about the Japanese cooperative movement by participating in a seminar that is being held from August 28 to September 6 jointly by Japan Consumers’ Co-operative Union and United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with Japan Joint Committee of Cooperatives (JJC) heading an organizational network of various cooperatives in the country. Their field trip to the JA Shimizu was organized as a part of the seminar program, providing them … Continue reading

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Sun and wind make rice taste even better!

AOMORI, Sept. 21 — Bokake, a traditional method for drying rice, began in one of the rice-producing regions in Hirosaki city, Aomori Prefecture. Bokake, which means hanging rice on a pole in Japanese, is a traditional way for drying rice by hanging them on a pole under the sunlight for two to three weeks. Here at Makanae region in Hirosaki city, farmers set up poles of approximately 2.5 meters and hang approximately 50 bundles of rice around each pole. An 83-year-old farmer, Kikue Jin, her family, and relatives have just finished the work with 150 poles in her rice field. “We’ve been doing this for about 50 years. Sun and … Continue reading

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The burden of market liberalization – loss on sales of “minimum access” rice imports squeezing agricultural budget

TOKYO, Sept. 17 – “Even if the domestic agricultural market is liberalized, the nation can survive with strong agriculture.” “Japan liberalized its rice market 25 years ago, but that did not affect domestic supply and demand.” – These are the excuses the government gives as it creates new free trade agreements one after another. However, the actual impact of rice market liberalization has been deep and long-standing. In fiscal 2015, 50.5 billion yen of tax money, a record high amount, was used to cover the loss on sales of so-called “minimum access” rice, rice imported under an annual tariff-free quota. Forcible market liberalization is putting pressure on agricultural budgets and … Continue reading

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