News from Japan

Farmers plant rice near crippled Fukushima site Farmers have resumed planting rice for market only 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, a local o... Gov't discusses farming as TPP trade talks await The government held its first ministerial meeting Tuesday on strengthening the agriculture and fisheries sector ahead of Japan's entry into the Trans-... Rice planted in former no-go zone Farmers in the city of Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture, have begun planting rice in a district once designated a no-go zone because of radioactive fallou... Gov't vows to bolster Japan's agriculture, eyeing TPP talks TOKYO, April 23 (Kyodo) _ The government said Tuesday that it will take steps to bolster Japan's abating agriculture industry, such as boosting crop e... Non-soil farming sprouts hope in Fukushima Kawauchi, a farming village 30km from the site of the world’s worst atomic disaster in 25 years, feared for its future as radiation from the crippled ... China, Japan, S. Korea open free trade talks China, Japan and South Korea kicked off formal negotiations Tuesday on securing a free trade agreement to bind together three economies that account f... Abe visits evacuation towns in Fukushima Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the towns of Namie and Tomioka in the Fukushima Prefecture to check on the progress of reconstruction efforts in two... Japan balances free trade with protection for farmers Japan's compulsion to protect its politically influential and culturally iconic agricultural sector is always a serious stumbling block when Tokyo att... Japan may open beef in TPP trade talks Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may sacrifice barriers protecting Japan’s beef and wheat farmers as he joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, said... Japanese farmers protest entry into TPP trade talks Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has not yet made any formal announcement, but Japan’s largest farm group has already staged a protest against the country’s ... Fukushima aims to revive agriculture with no-soil farming Takeo Endo, a Kawauchi farmer who once supplied the imperial family with rice, is spearheading a group that’s pioneering a project that aims to grow f... Fukushima seeks revival in radiation-free farms Kawauchi, a farming village 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the site of the world’s worst atomic disaster in 25 years, feared for its future as radiatio... Japan boosts wheat prices as yen weakens Japan increased wheat prices to flour millers by almost 10 percent, raising costs for companies including Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. (2002) and Nippon ... Fresh clashes between Japanese whalers and activists Environmental activists and Japanese whaling authorities have reported fresh clashes in Antarctic waters, with each side accusing the other of causing... Japan must negotiate on rice to join trade talks, US says Japan must be willing to negotiate in all trade sectors, including politically sensitive ones like rice, if it wants to join the United States and 10 ... Japan props up its whaling industry A wildlife conservation group said in a report recently that Japan has been propping up its whaling industry with nearly $400 million in tax money in ... Radioactive Cattle Found Near Fukushima Thousands of cows were abandoned in the evacuated zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami th... Japan beef news rallies U.S. live cattle futures U.S. live cattle futures rallied on Tuesday, helped by news that Japan could ease U.S. beef import restrictions soon, triggering short-covering, trade... Japan plans to relax restrictions on US beef Japan will ease restrictions on U.S. beef imports next month, boosting supplies to restaurant chains such as Yoshinoya Holdings Co. (9861), after food... Rice farmers get bulk of Japan's support Japan has given Kenya a Sh617.6 million grant to finance two projects meant to improve farming and access to clean water. Some Sh480.7 million from... An appalling waste of food An alarming new report estimates that between 30 and 50 percent of all the food produced in the world is lost and wasted. This is a shocking finding g... Farmers still suffering from radiation fears Mayumi Kurasawa's seaweed company saw seven of its factories swept away by the 2011 tsunami. Nearly two years later, sales continue to be eroded by co... Nuclear fears contaminate sales for Japan farmers Mayumi Kurasawa's seaweed company saw seven of its factories swept away by Japan's 2011 tsunami. Nearly two years later, sales continue to be eroded b... Japan's farming could be going to seed 'Tis the season for predictions, and last week Hiromasa Yonekura, the chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), told Asahi Shimbun... Japan business lobbies back PM Abe Major business lobbies in Japan on Monday backed the efforts of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to revive the faltering economy and urged him to commit to a... Japan suspends Brazilian beef imports following BSE report Japan has suspended beef imports from Brazil after samples from a cow that died two years ago tested positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephelopathy (BS... Japanese farmers go high-tech for crop updates Farmers can now look to the cloud for the latest updates on their crops. And this time, we don’t mean that literally. Agricultural company Granpa Co h... Idaho beef growers eye potential changes in Japan A possible change in Japanese import policy concerning beef has the potential to create more income for Idaho beef producers, officials in Idaho said.... Scots seek way back to Japan beef market Scottish farming leaders yesterday combined to push for the re-opening of the beef trade with Japan, 16 years after that option clanged shut during th... Japan's rice production for 2013 to continue falling Japan's rice production for 2013 has been forecasted at 7.91 million tons, 20,000 tons less than 2012, as demand is expected to continue to fall, the ... Noda orders new ¥880 billion stimulus The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will approve an ¥880 billion emergency plan Friday to boost the stagnant economy, forging the second extr... Rice prices in Japan soar despite plentiful harvest Despite a good harvest, domestic rice prices are soaring partly because producers' efforts to develop brand rice that can be sold at higher prices are... Rice planting to resume in Fukushima The town government of Hirono and the village government of Kawauchi in Fukushima Prefecture have decided to resume planting rice next year. Both m... Dairy company signs skim milk deal with Japan Dairy processor Warrnambool Cheese and Butter has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation to export and sell its skim milk powder in Japan. ... Japanese PM looks to join Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal Japan could soon follow Canada’s entrance into the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks, adding significant economic weight to the potential free-trade pac... Japanese rice growers look to develop US market Japan annually purchases 300,000 metric tons of rice from California growers, but the nation's rice farmers believe it's now time for the U.S. to star... New Zealand PM calls for greater access to Japanese market New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Thursday warned Japan risked missing out on trade opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region if it continued to r... Fukushima fish still contaminated from nuclear accident Levels of radioactive contamination in fish caught off the east coast of Japan remain raised, official data shows. It is a sign that the Dai-ichi p... Seoul, Tokyo agree on fishing quota in exclusive waters South Korea and Japan agreed on the amount of fish they can each catch in each other's exclusive economic zones (EEZs) Tuesday, the Seoul government s... ¥400 billion in stimulus on the way A stimulus package worth more than ¥400 billion is being prepared to spur the economy as the recovery from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami slows... Japan to restrict rice shipments in Fukushima on Radiation Japan will restrict rice shipments from an area in Fukushima prefecture after a sample exceeded a new government safety standard for the first time si... Japan to ease age restrictions on U.S. beef imports Japan is set to enter the final phase of easing restrictions on beef imports from the United States and other Western nations following a report from ... Japan plans 1 trillion yen stimulus Japan's prime minister will instruct his ministers to plan for an economic stimulus of up to ¥1.0 trillion on Wednesday, reports said, as an election ... Fukushima town continues with rice shipments Hirono, Fukushima made history as of October 9th when the decision to sell rice in the once emergency evacuation zone was approved. Since the declarat... Japan buying Aussie bananas farms Japanese trading house Itchu Corp has bought into the Australian food industry by snapping up farms in Queensland. The purchases are part of its $U... Japan boosts Tanzania's agriculture, food security The government of Tanzania through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, has commended the government of Japan for continuous a... Is sushi an endangered species in Japan? Sushi’s popularity continues to grow worldwide, but its origins in Japan are endangered. Whereas a European investor, Permira, has recently bought... Japan inches closer to more liberal US beef imports Australia could come under more competitive pressure in the Japanese export market from the US some time early next year, if the consensus of opinion ... Farmers markets on the rise in Tokyo In a city the size of Tokyo, it's all too easy to be unaware of where your food comes from. Most of what we eat is shipped in from far away, not just ... Japanese restrictions put shrimp exporters under strain India’s shrimp exports to Japan have been under strain since Japan detected the antioxidant ethoxyquin in Indian shrimp consignments upon arrival. Jap...