National Sep 20, 2020
The new rice variety was developed through genetic improvement in an attempt to increase crop yields in a salty paddy field.
Business Sep 1, 2020
Wholesale prices of rice to be harvested this year are likely to fall for the first time in six years, helping consumers while giving farmers a headache. The drop reflects lower demand for dining out because of the novel coronavirus epidemic, on top of a ...
Food & Drink | Kateigaho International Japan Edition May 9, 2020
Ryo Saegusa started the Kotaki Rice & Future Project in 2015 to promote and sell the rice lovingly cultivated by Kotaki’s farmers. Today, it’s marketed as a high-end, sustainable gift.
Commentary / Japan Apr 17, 2020
Will the COVID-19 pandemic cause a food crisis?
by Kazuhito Yamashita
For the sake of food security, Japan needs to abolish the policy of curbing its rice acreage.
Business Mar 24, 2020
Supermarket sales in Japan in February grew at their fastest pace in over four years as consumers bought more food to eat at home amid the new coronavirus scare, industry data showed Tuesday. Overall sales rose 4.1 percent from the year before to ¥937.6 billion, ...
National Mar 11, 2020
Japan's agriculture ministry to keep food self-sufficiency target at 45%
The agriculture ministry revealed Tuesday that it would maintain its goal of increasing the country's calorie-based food self-sufficiency rate to 45 percent by fiscal 2030, unchanged from the current target for years through fiscal 2025. In fiscal 2018, which ended in March 2019, the food ...
Business Jan 28, 2020
McDonald's Japan said Tuesday it will start offering its first series of rice burgers next week to cater to people who prefer rice over bread for dinner. The burgers, available from Feb. 5 through the middle of May, will be the latest addition to the ...
Business / Corporate Jan 16, 2020
Kubota to release self-driving rice planting machine in October
Kubota Corp. said Wednesday it will release a rice-planting machine with automated driving functions in October. The aim of the first such machine in the industry is to reduce the burden on farmers by reducing the need for manpower in the process of planting rice. ...
National | Regional voices: Chubu Jan 10, 2020
Made in central Japan: Chubu bets on Tokyo Olympics to boost sales of local produce
With the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics taking place this year, prefectures in the Chubu region are eager to make the sporting event an opportunity to promote their local produce. In the village of Higashishirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, whose land is 90 percent covered by mountainous forests, ...
Business Dec 12, 2019
Battling drought, debt and ailments blamed on pesticides, rice farmers in northern Thailand have turned to eco-friendly growing methods despite powerful agribusiness interests in a country that is one of the top exporters of the grain in the world. Walking through a sea of green ...
Food & Drink Dec 7, 2019
The fermentation power of kōji, Japanese food's secret ingredient
by Momoko Nakamura
If Japanese food culture were pared down to its fundamental elements, the ingredient that might embodies them best is kome kōji (rice inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae).
Business Dec 5, 2019
U.S. and Japan to discuss next trade talks in early 2020, USTR says
The United States and Japan will begin consultations early next year in order to enter negotiations on a broader trade agreement than the one signed in October, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a statement on Wednesday. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer ...