Norinchukin Bank invests ¥150 billion in World Bank bonds to support sustainable development projects

TOKYO, June 1 – The Norinchukin Bank, a national-level financial institution for agricultural, forestry and fisheries cooperatives in Japan, announced that it has invested $1.4 billion (¥150 billion) in World Bank bonds to support financing of sustainable development projects in developing countries. Sustainable Development Bonds issued by the World Bank for Norinchukin will finance projects that are designed to help achieve four of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including “zero hunger,” the goals that the Norinchukin Bank considers important. It is the first time for the World Bank to launch bonds solely for an institutional investor in Japan. The other goals chosen to be addressed are “climate … Continue reading

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Foreign people with new specified skills visa less than tenth of government target in first year

TOKYO, May 30 – The number of foreign nationals with a new visa for specified skills totaled 3,987 as of the end of March, a year after the system was launched, according to data released by the Immigration Services Agency on May 29. This is less than 10 percent of the government’s initial goal set for the first year. Among them, those working for the agriculture sector reached 686, also less than a tenth of the government target for the sector. The low numbers are attributable to the complicated procedures for obtaining the visa and the slow approval process, as well as travel restrictions imposed amid the spread of COVID-19 … Continue reading

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Singles in their 20s focusing more on staying slim than getting proper nutrition: survey

TOKYO, May 24 – Single people in their 20s pay more attention to reducing weight than getting proper nutrition when choosing what to eat, according to a survey conducted by The Norinchukin Bank. The bank’s officials said the results of the survey indicate the overall decline in interest towards food among young people, stressing the need to promote information on matters related to food. The questionnaire on diet and food safety awareness, conducted on 400 single men and women in their 20s living in the Tokyo metropolitan area between March 17 and 29, asked them to select issues of interest regarding food, allowing multiple answers. The largest percentage of respondents … Continue reading

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Japan’s self-sufficiency of pork marks record low of 48.6 percent in fiscal 2019 amid rise of imports

TOKYO, May 23 – Japan’s weight-based self-sufficiency ratio of pork in fiscal 2019 posted a record low of 48.6 percent, according to calculations by The Japan Agricultural News. While domestic production increased slightly in terms of volume, record high volume of imports led to a drop in the self-sufficiency ratio. The ratio for beef was 34.6 percent, second lowest following fiscal 2000. As uncertainties over meat trading continue amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of improving the self-sufficiency ratio is increasing in order to build a stable supply system unaffected by the global situation. Calculations on the ratios were made by The Japan Agricultural News based on data on the … Continue reading

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Green tea terraces in Okunagashima producing quality tea for quality time

SHIZUOKA, May 11 – Ashikubo region in Aoi Ward, Shizuoka Prefecture, is known as the origin of Shizuoka green tea. You’ll see beautiful stripes drawn with tea trees and stonewalls on the steep mountainside with a height difference of about 30 meters at the far end of Okunagashima village in the region. It’s “Okunagashima no dandan chabatake (green tea terraces in Okunagashima)” created almost 50 years ago by a local farmer. It once ran on the rocks, but currently, it’s run by locals and volunteers who are determined to preserve this precious agricultural landscape. The owner of the 3,000-square-meter green tea plantation is a 79-year-old local green tea grower, Kyoko … Continue reading

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