TOKYO, July 20 – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan will not make compromises that go beyond the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in the new bilateral trade talks with the United States. In an interview with The Japan Agricultural News held at the Prime Minister’s Office on July 19, Abe discussed Japan’s stance in the ministerial-level “free, fair and reciprocal” trade talks, dubbed the FFR talks, to be held soon. He also commented on farmers’ criticisms on how farm policies are decided. Q. Farmers are increasingly worried over the Abe administration’s trade policies, as the government has been signing one trade deal after another, including the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement and … Continue reading →

TOKYO, July 6 — Japan’s agriculture ministry has launched “Let’s Wagohan,” at a time when Japanese companies and the government eye new ways of spreading Washoku traditional Japanese cuisine at home and abroad. The “Let’s Wagohan” is a project where the private sector presents Washoku menu that uses homegrown farm products. The move coincides as five years have passed since Washoku was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The government wants to boost consumption of Japanese agricultural products as Japan hosts the Rugby World Cup 2019 matches as well as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

TOKYO, July 14 – The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (MHLW) announced the official removal of the ban on the sale of tofu at room temperature in Japan on July 13, 2018. So far, the domestic tofu producers were required to sell only refrigerated products to prevent food poisoning, but now, they can sell unrefrigerated ones if they are “bacteria-free filled tofu” packed in an aseptic container. For some domestic “filled tofu” producers who already sell unrefrigerated products in the export market, the change in the law is expected to provide a boost to expand the market both at home and abroad. On July 13, MHLW revised … Continue reading →