BEIJING, Nov. 11 ― Japan, China and South Korea have agreed to boost border control, as livestock infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and deadly African swine fever have been recorded across the globe in recent years. “We need to deepen mutual cooperation on many fronts,” Japanese Agriculture Minister Takamori Yoshikawa said at a joint press conference after the trilateral agriculture ministers’ meeting in Beijing that wrapped up on Nov. 10. A joint statement adopted by the three said: “Given the increasing threat of Transboundary Animal Diseases such as African swine fever, cooperation for effective border control among three countries needs to be strengthened.” The meeting came at a time … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 9 ― Japan’s new agriculture minister, Takamori Yoshikawa, has pledged that his government would take up steps to steer the future of farming and nurture the next generation of farmers. Testifying before the lower house of agriculture committee on Nov. 8, Yoshikawa told fellow parliamentarians: “In order to ensure sustainable development of agriculture, we need to build a local pool of talents for farms of the future.” Yoshikawa also stressed that the government will speed up recovery efforts in areas that have been hit hard by natural disasters, including the recent Hokkaido earthquake and torrential rains in western Japan. In the latest cabinet reshuffle of Prime Minister Shinzo … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 15 ― On November 14, 2018, the Dairy Farmers’ Political Federation of Japan (Nihon Rakuno Seiji Renmei) gathered at the LDP headquarters in Nagata-cho, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo, to announce the launch of the initiatives for maintaining and developing small- and medium-sized businesses-most of them run by families-that are responsible for the majority of production of milk in Japan. Their ultimate goal to make a breakthrough for dairy farmers, many of which are close to being out of business. Approximately 700 farmers attended the meeting and explained the difficulties and the support they need to the diet members of the ruling party. The federation authorized the resolutions seeking political … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 3 ― Japan’s cabinet on Nov. 2 approved a draft bill to accept more foreign blue-collar workers from April next year, a controversial move for the country that is known for its strict immigration rules. The draft legislation, which the parliament is set to deliberate at the current extraordinary session, is designed to tackle the labor shortage in agriculture and some other industries in the face of the country’s aging population. Yet, the bill has been under attack from the opposition parties as well as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s own party, the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), because it may eventually lead to overhaul the country’s immigration policy. … Continue reading →