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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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, ...
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 ...
The fermentation power of kōji, Japanese food's secret ingredient
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).
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 ...
Rice excluded from trade accord U.S. and Japan aim to ink soon
U.S. rice growers won't get increased sales under the current terms of a trade deal agreed by President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, people familiar with the accord said. While there are still details to be finalized, the people said there won't ...
Sendai Dango Ichifuku: Sushi rice gives classic sweets a twist
Sendai Dango Ichifuku, a sushi shop-turned-sweets purveyor, has been making its dango dumplings with Sasanishiki sushi rice since the 1980s, but recently its online presence has been attracting new fans to the small Tohoku shop.
Emperor Naruhito takes part in rice planting ceremony at Imperial Palace in Tokyo
Emperor Naruhito on Monday conducted the first rice planting at the Imperial Palace since he assumed the throne on May 1. Rice farming at the palace in Tokyo was initiated by Emperor Hirohito — posthumously known as Emperor Showa — who was the grandfather of ...
Turtle-shell divination conducted at Imperial Palace in Tokyo ahead of key succession rite
The ceremony selects Tochigi and Kyoto prefectures to provide the rice for the upcoming Daijosai offering ceremony in mid-November.
