Typhoon Faxai’s record-strong wind hits farmers in Kanto region

CHIBA, Sep. 10 – A strong typhoon Faxai landed Chiba, near Tokyo, before 5 a.m. It was the largest typhoon landed in the Kanto region and registered a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 57.5 meters per second in Chuo Ward, Chiba City, 49 meters in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, and 43.2 meters in Ota Ward, Tokyo. The powerful storm slammed pears, kiwis and many other ripe fruits and knocked down greenhouses, causing devastating damage on farmers. Local agricultural cooperatives (JAs) were swamped by the work to confirm the loss. From September 8 to 9, the massive typhoon Faxai traveled over the Izu Island chain and the Kanto region before it … Continue reading

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Bonsai Art Museum in Saitama gives first workshop for non-Japanese bonsai fans

SAITAMA, Aug. 31 – The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama, in Saitama Prefecture gave a workshop for inbound visitors to Japan for the first time on August 30, 2019. The workshop “Saitama International Bonsai Academy” was participated by three non-Japanese bonsai lovers from Singapore and the U.K. They enjoyed a guided tour of the museum and learned the tips for appreciating the art and its history. Then, they had the first-hand experience of trimming and replanting young Japanese black pines. The instructor of the class was a 36-year-old bonsai professional from the U.S., Adam Jones, an owner of a bonsai export company “Tree House Bonsai” in Ami Town, Ibaraki Prefecture. … Continue reading

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Swine fever still spreading in Japan after 1-year effort to end outbreak: 40 cases found in 4 prefectures

TOKYO, Sep. 10 – A year has passed since Japan found its first swine fever case in 26 years at a pig farm on September 9, 2018. So far, more than 130,000 pigs were culled at 40 pig farms in four prefectures. New cases are found every week. The measures to contain the disease have not been successful, and farmers are increasingly exhausted. In the past twelve months, the outbreak expanded from Gifu Prefecture to Aichi, Mie, and Fukui Prefecture, and the number of the cases reached 40 by September 8. Wild boars which carry the virus are found in Nagano, Toyama, and Ishikawa Prefectures, and they are making the … Continue reading

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Japan’s hen egg exports up in 1st half of 2019, demand for hot-spring eggs growing

TOKYO, Aug. 20 – Japan’s export of hen eggs is now strong. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan’s export of shell chicken eggs in the first six months of 2019 amounted approximately 1 billion yen. It’s 60% higher than the same period last year, which was the highest in the past 30 years. In Hong Kong, the primary market for eggs from Japan, both the sales of raw eggs for supermarkets and the demand for onsen tamago (hot-spring eggs) are growing. Onsen tamago is a half-boiled egg with soft and creamy yoke and half-done white. It’s become popular among consumers outside Japan as it is … Continue reading

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Number of young new farmers in Japan dips below 20,000 in 2018, fight over new workers with other industries gets severer

TOKYO, Aug. 10 – The number of young beginning farmers under the age of 49 was 19,290 in 2018, down 7% from the previous year. It fell below 20,000 for the first time in five years, according to a survey released by the Ministry of Agriculture on August 9. The drop in the figure is partly attributable to the decreased in the number of new employed farmers due to an increasingly severer competition for new workers with other industries. Meanwhile, the total number of new farmers amounted to 55,810 and exceeded 50,000 for two consecutive years. The numbers of beginning farmers in 2015 and 2016, however, were at the 60,000 … Continue reading

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