Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
National Sep 21, 2013
Four TPP members offer to kill all tariffs
Four of the countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal offer total tariff elimination on all farm and industrial goods, pressuring Japan to follow suit.
Corporate Sep 9, 2013
JR Kyushu expanding agriculture business as railway revenue slows
With revenue from its mainstay railway business slowing, Kyushu Railway Co. is aiming to generate annual sales of ¥1 billion from its farming ventures in two years, a roughly fivefold increase from fiscal 2012. JR Kyushu entered the farm business in 2010, looking for ...
Environment Sep 2, 2013
Cattle ranching goes green in Brazil's Amazon region
In a remote corner of the Brazilian Amazon, farmer Lacir Soares is promoting sustainable cattle rearing that shuns deforestation and meets the environmental requirements of a new forestry law. His venture, supported by the cattle industry and environmentalists, illustrates how things are changing in ...
Business Aug 19, 2013
'Agripreneurs' tech-savvy green thumbs
by Hiroko Nakata
Umeshu Dining Myojo, a small eatery in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, is growing its own herbs and leafy vegetables, including basil, mint, arugula and romaine lettuce, on site as part of a hydroponic “agripreneurism” effort. The plants are in a temperature- and water-controlled greenhouse 2½ ...
Science & Health Aug 4, 2013
Bacteria-killing chemicals may be masking salmonella
The Agriculture Department is reviewing research that shows new bacteria-killing chemicals used in chicken slaughterhouses may be masking the presence of salmonella and other pathogens that remain on the meat that consumers buy, according to records and interviews. Academic researchers agree that the chemicals ...
Business Jun 29, 2013
Beijing role feared as Chinese buy Canada farms
With too few farms in China to feed a burgeoning population, Chinese immigrants have started buying up agricultural lands in Canada and shipping produce to Asia. But with new investment comes fears that a generation of young Canadian would-be farmers are being squeezed out ...
Environment Jun 12, 2013
More pests resistant to GM crops, study says
More pest species are becoming resistant to the most popular type of genetically modified, insect-repellent crops, but not in areas where farmers follow expert advice, a study showed Monday. The paper delves into a key aspect of so-called Bt corn and cotton — plants ...
Business Jun 2, 2013
U.S. probes other possible cases of modified wheat
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investigating the discovery of genetically engineered wheat in an Oregon field as the outcry mounted Friday among consumer groups and after Japan suspended some American imports. U.S. regulators said the wheat carries no risks but the outcome ...
Business Jun 1, 2013
After Japan joins talks, China considering TPP
China says it is studying the possibility of joining the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, about a month after the existing 11 members allowed Japan to join the negotiations.
Business May 14, 2013
Nonagricultural firms helping farms rebound
by Hiroko Nakata
Close to Narita International Airport, on a 6.7-hectare patch of ground where spinach, radishes, “komatsuna” and carrots are grown, stands a white sign with the words “Lawson Farm” in blue lettering. The farm, in the city of Katori, is indeed run by convenience store ...
World Apr 30, 2013
EU to slap two-year ban on bee-harming pesticides
The European Commission said Monday it would impose the world’s first continentwide ban on three pesticides that environmentalists say are killing the bees that pollinate Europe’s crops. The decision was a blow to the two chemical companies — Bayer of Germany and Switzerland’s Syngenta ...
Politics & Diplomacy Apr 25, 2013
LDP election strategy: double farming income
by Ayako Mie
To shore up Japan's declining farm sector and mollify TPP critics, the Liberal Democratic Party proposes doubling farmers' incomes over the next 10 years.