Loss-making Japanese public-private farm fund may be dissolved
The finance and farm ministries will "thoroughly" review the operations of a struggling public-private investment fund aimed at supporting the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, and may opt to dissolve it, sources with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. They believe it would be difficult ...
In bid to contain swine fever outbreak, Japan's farm ministry announces plan to vaccinate pigs
The ministry saw the move as inevitable after the first outbreak in the country in 26 years was confirmed in September last year.
New farm minister Taku Eto determined to stamp out swine fever
Newly appointed Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Taku Eto has expressed his determination to take decisive action on measures for ending the spread of swine fever in Japan, including whether to administer vaccines to pigs. "We practically only have nine months until we are stripped ...
Government to send officials to disaster-hit Fukushima to expand resumption of farming
The agriculture ministry said Tuesday it will send officials to 12 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture that were hit by the 2011 nuclear disaster to help farmers there resume agricultural production. From April 2020, one official will be stationed in each of the 12 municipalities near ...
Japan's food self-sufficiency rate hits lowest level in 25 years due to drop in wheat production
The nation's food self-sufficiency rate on a caloric intake basis was 37 percent in fiscal 2018, the lowest level in 25 years, after domestic wheat and soy bean production dropped sharply due to bad weather, the latest data compiled by the farm ministry has ...
The Japanese and Irish governments have reached a broad agreement on the lifting of Japan's 18-year-old ban on imports of sheep meat from Ireland, Irish agriculture minister Michael Creed said on Twitter on Wednesday. The accord came after Japan resumed imports of Irish beef only ...
Former top farm official says Kawasaki knife attack prompted him to kill his son
Hideaki Kumazawa reportedly tells police he believed his son could “harm others” after he found out about last week’s stabbing rampage.
Former top farm bureaucrat arrested over alleged murder of son
A 76-year-old former top bureaucrat at the farm ministry is arrested for allegedly murdering his son at their home in Tokyo.
Damage to Japan's farm sector from natural disasters and extreme weather topped ¥560 billion in 2018
The cost of damage to the agriculture, forestry and fishery industries from abnormal weather and natural disasters including typhoons and torrential rain stood at ¥567.9 billion in 2018, a government white paper said Tuesday. The total also included damage caused by a powerful earthquake in ...
Infectious form of African swine fever virus detected for first time in Japan, in meat from China
The agriculture ministry said the discovery of the virus has prompted a decision to strengthen measures against illegal imports of livestock products.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries exports in 2018 grew 12.4 percent from a year earlier to hit a record high for the sixth straight year, buoyed by strong demand from other Asian nations, the farm ministry said Friday. The preliminary figure of ¥906.8 billion ($8.3 billion) ...
Japan's government warns of 'extremely serious situation' as swine fever spreads to five prefectures
A swine fever epidemic continues to spread in Japan, with local authorities in five prefectures saying they are struggling to contain the highly contagious pig virus.
