There is growing hope that Japan will benefit from so-called smart agriculture, which taps robot and information technology to save labor and reduce farming workloads, and could address farmer aging and shortages that overshadow the nation's agricultural sector.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry hopes efficient production will be adopted nationwide to help maintain Japan's agricultural production capacity, officials have said.
In the city of Fukaya in Saitama Prefecture, known for its "Fukaya Negi" high-quality green onions, an automated robot uses an 8-meter-long arm to spray agricultural chemicals as it travels between rows of green onions in a large field.