The Consumer Affairs Agency on Thursday, Nov. 12, began discussing increasing the number of processed foods which are required to display where their ingredients originated from, as imports of agricultural and other food items are expected to increase under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement. The measure is aimed at providing more information for consumers who prefer buying foods which use home-grown farm items as ingredients. However, authorities are likely to have difficulty deciding to what extent the requirements should be expanded, as processed food manufacturers will voice opposition to the idea which could lead to cost increases. The agency officials, who revealed the policy at a meeting of the Liberal … Continue reading →

   Agriculture ministry’s impact analysis of TPP agreement The agriculture ministry announced on Thursday, Oct. 29, that 12 out of 21 agricultural items will face price declines affected by imports of low-priced products as a result of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement. The ministry’s analysis of the agreement’s impact on products including rice, wheat, sugar and some vegetables and fruits indicates the government acknowledges that domestic producers of a wide range of items will be negatively affected by the agreement. The ministry classified the 21 items into three categories: rice, wheat and barley under the category of “unrestricted increase in imports unlikely”; 10 items such as starch under “limited impact … Continue reading →

  As much as 69 percent of The Japan Agricultural News readers who responded to a poll said Japan failed to keep the Diet resolutions calling for protection of key agricultural products in the broad agreement reached under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe maintains that Japanese negotiators “were able to obtain the best possible result from the perspective of Japan’s national interest” including the agriculture sector, but the result of the poll shows that farmers take it quite differently. The support rate for the Abe administration dropped to the record low level of 18 percent, and 59 percent said they don’t support him. The poll was … Continue reading →