【News】 Japanese Government’s MAFF to invite chefs from overseas to spread “Japanese techniques” for cutting “wagyu” beef (June 30, 2016)

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will start a special program of spreading “Japanese beef cutting techniques” among overseas chefs, which cut round of beef and other parts of “wagyu (Japanese beef cattle)” into thinly sliced beef specially for Japanese cuisines such as “Yakiniku (Korean-style grilled meat)” and “Shabu-shabu,” one of Japanese hot pot dishes. In this program, MAFF invites 50 chefs from Western and Asian countries per year for three years from 2016, who are to learn unique techniques of meat cutting, including a slicing-beef technique developed in Japan. Overseas demand for round of “wagyu” beef is now limited and only a small amount of such parts of … Continue reading

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【News】 JA Shimogo’s “mobile bathroom” runs in the Kumamoto earthquake-hit areas (June 28, 2016)

Shimogo Agricultural Cooperative (JA), based at Nakatsu-shi in Oita prefecture neighboring to earthquake-hit Kumamoto prefecture, has continued to support quake victims living at evacuation centers of cities and villages in Kumamoto prefecture. JA Shimogo’s activity for supporting those victims is still being implemented with its own “mobile bathroom,” which provides an opportunity for those people to enjoy bathing in a Japanese-style bathtub. “A Kumamoto support team” of JA Shimogo has been sent with the “mobile bathroom” to Kumamoto prefecture ten times since the prefecture was struck by powerful earthquakes in the middle of this April. A loading space of JA’s refrigerated two-ton truck for transporting fresh farm products was modified … Continue reading

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【Editor’s column】People’s voices can turn the tide (June 23, 2016)

[By Kazushiro Tamiya, Editor in Chief of The Japan Agricultural News] While the Lower House election is an election to decide who should be in power, the Upper House election is more of a confidence vote in the administration. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration is highly likely to be maintained, but the election will decide whether the forces backing Abe will increase or decrease. In another words, the election will make clear whether Abe’s administration will step on the accelerator or the brakes. The past three and a half years saw a historical turning point in terms of agricultural policies, as the Japanese government joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks … Continue reading

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【News】 Seppetobe agricultural festival: young men dance in muddy paddy field to pray for huge harvest (Hioki-shi, Kagoshima Prefecture) (June 12, 2016)

On the first Sunday of June every year in Hioki-shi, Kagoshima Prefecture, there is an exciting rice planting festival called Seppetobe. Seppetobe means “leap as high as possible” in the Kagoshima local dialect. Young men in white costumes jump in a paddy field, which is covered with mud, to pray for the productiveness of the year. The young men from some groups according to the districts they live and compete how well a man from each group can carry a long bamboo rod from one corner to another for about 50 meters without tipping it over. A large figure of about 3 meters tall called deodon (meaning the great king … Continue reading

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【News】 ZEN-NOH’s affiliate to initiate marketing prepared ingredients of local farm products for preschools (June 28, 2016)

Pure Dish Co., Ltd., an affiliate of ZEN-NOH (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations), based at Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi in Chiba prefecture, plans to increase supplies of prepared ingredients to preschool education facilities such as kindergartens and nursery schools this year. Most of these facilities are suffering from a labor shortage at their kitchen, which makes it difficult for the cooking staff to take a lot of time to cook lunch meals for the children. People of the preschool facilities have been growing their interests in the Pure Dish’s high technologies of producing and preserving meal ingredients without spoiling flavor and nutrition of the ingredients. Supplies of these ingredients by the … Continue reading

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