Sugimoto Kogyo based in Komatsushima, Tokushima Prefecture, has developed the nation’s first snare trap for wild monkeys. The trap is designed to be hung vertically at a certain height above ground, and captures monkeys by tying up their arms by wires when they try to reach for food set inside. It will require less space than box traps, and is easy to install. A wire trap is placed on the rim of a transparent container with a diameter of about 25cm. If a monkey reaches for fruits set inside the container and tries to take them out, its arm will be trapped. The trap can be hung from pillars … Continue reading →

The number of farms which have signed the so-called family management agreement marked a record high of 55,435 in 2015, up 2.3 percent from a year before, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The increase is attributable to the fact that farmers have become more aware of the merits of creating such agreements. The ministry this month began showing on its website a list of successful cases of utilizing the agreement in an effort to further encourage signing of such agreements. In terms of prefectures, Tochigi and Kumamoto showed the largest year-on-year increase with 103 and 101 farms respectively, followed by 90 for Aichi and 79 for … Continue reading →