TOKYO, Sep. 18 – Is that mushroom safe to eat? Every autumn, there is no end to people suffering from food poisoning from eating wild mushrooms. Mushroom poisoning typically peaks from September to November. Seeing one fatal case last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) is calling attention to it. According to the MHLW, Japan counted 595 mushroom-borne poisoning patients over the ten years until 2024. Among them, 566 cases were reported in September, October, and November, accounting for more than 90% of all cases. Over the past decade, up to 2024, the most common cause of mushroom poisoning in Japan was Omphalotus japonicus, commonly known as … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sep. 13 – Aomori and Nagano Prefectures have appointed the members of Japan’s popular music band, Mrs. Green Apple, as Green Apple Ambassadors who promote the two leading apple-producing prefectures in Japan. The prefectures will start selling green apples in boxes exclusively designed with the band members nationwide and implement several other promotional activities. Prefectural Governors handed the letters of appointment to them at a ceremony held in Tokyo, where Motoki Omori, a singer and guitarist, told the press that he has an allergy to apples. “Though I cannot eat apples, I will do my best to promote consumption. I want to send messages to people all over Japan,” … Continue reading →

OSAKA, Sept. 11 ­­— A tasting event to enjoy animal-free ramen was held at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. The ramen dish uses noodles made from soybeans developed by Toyota Motor Corp., which is working on expanding consumption of domestically-grown soybeans, coupled with plant-based dashi soup created by Fuji Oil Co. The firms hope to contribute to boosting exports of Japanese food and consumption of domestic farm produce through providing products that meet the needs of people with diverse dietary habits such as vegetarians. Only 20 percent of the total amount of soybeans consumed by the people in Japan are produced domestically. Toyota has been cooperating with food manufacturers, … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Sep. 9 – The Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (JA-Zenchu) has launched a campaign to promote domestic consumption of domestic produce, featuring Hello Kitty, a popular fictional character owned by Sanrio. The JA Zenchu has created promotional materials starring Kitty and Emi-chan, a character designed exclusively for JA Group’s  Minna-no-Yoi-Shoku Project (meaning everyone’s good food project in Japanese). They aim to communicate the importance of eating domestic produce to consumers in various generations, including children who have less first-hand experience in agriculture. In fiscal 2025, the JA Zenchu plans to focus on communication to young people and those raising children as part of the JA Group’s unified campaign to … Continue reading →

TOCHIGI, Sept. 9 ­— Usuba Yokeijo, a poultry farm in the town of Mashiko in Tochigi Prefecture that sells eggs on direct-from-farm websites, improved its egg packaging to reduce breakage during transport, leading to an increase in repeat customers. Working together with a materials maker, the farm developed a cardboard box with partitions that can carry and protect multiple 10-egg cartons. After adopting the box, the egg breakage rate dropped from 5 percent to less than 1 percent, contributing to increased sales. The farm started marketing on direct farm sales websites in April 2019 and currently registers on three sites. At first, it received only a few orders a day … Continue reading →