Japan News Update #13 (15-28 June, 2021)

Japan’s Agricultural Policy

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) begins to unify technical information to spread "smart agriculture," which uses IT to improve the efficiency of agricultural work. In anticipation of decreasing the number of farmers, the project will make it easier to introduce advanced technologies such as automatic driving agrarian machines.

Source: MAFF create database of smart agriculture information by FY2022

Minister of MAFF Kotaro Nogami announced that MAFF would accelerate to realize the "Green Food System Strategy," including legislation. MAFF has decided that it is necessary to legislate the strategy to provide continuous and stable support to farmers working to reduce their environmental impact. The MAFF aims to submit the bill to the ordinary Diet session as early as next year. Then, the ministry will decide whether to amend the law or enact a new one, considering existing laws such as the Sustainable Agriculture Law, which provides the certification and support of "eco-farmers."

Source: “Green Food System Strategy.” to be legalized

The MAFF will reorganize its organization as of July 1, establishing three new bureaus: "Export and International," "Agriculture and Industry," and "Livestock," to promote agricultural exports, integrate rice and horticultural crops, and strengthen the production base of livestock. In addition, in the Minister's Secretariat, there will be a "New Business and Food Industry Department," responsible for promoting the food industry, and an "Environmental Biomass Policy Division," which will facilitate the concrete implementation of the Green Food System Strategy.

Source: MAFF to reorganize in July to expand exports

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the MAFF have launched a joint mission to list Japan's national parks in the top 25 globally as chosen by travel review websites. In Japan's national parks, land management and park management are carried out separately, and the work tended to be bureaucratically sectionalized. However, the Forestry Agency, which is part of MAFF, plans to transfer the authority for land management to the MOE eventually.

Source: Ministries pursuing world recognition for 5 national parks

Flower Industry

The total transaction volume of flower wholesalers in 2020 fell 6.5% from the previous year to 317.5 billion yen, the lowest in 30 years. Cut flower sales decreased by 8.9% due to the restraint of events and reduced business at flower stores. In contrast, new demands such as potted plants for home use increased by 0.2%, creating a new order.

Source: Flower wholesale volume lowest, but household use expanding

With only one month left before the Tokyo Olympics, flower farmers in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, are preparing "Victory Bouquets" for the Olympic athletes. The Victory Bouquets will be given to the medalists as a commemorative gift and made with flowers grown in the areas damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Source: Flower Farmers in Fukushima Getting Ready for Tokyo Games

Agri-tech

NTT East and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that they started a demonstration experiment to support agriculture using "Local 5G," a next-generation communication standard that can be used in limited areas. In urban agriculture, where farmland is little, it is necessary to increase the yield. Through the demonstration experiment, they aim to support new farmers remotely and efficiently and improve their productivity.

Source: NTT East and Tokyo Metropolitan Government to Support Agriculture with Local 5G

NEXTAGE, an agri-tech startup working on the automated cultivation of Wasabi, has announced the opening and operation of a test cultivation facility in Okinawa Prefecture. The Okinawa location is that if Wasabi, which is grown in cooler climates, can be harvested in warm Okinawa, it will be possible to produce Wasabi of "the same quality as naturally grown wasabi" in any environment in the world.

Source: Japanese start-up start wasabi cultivation in plant factory

Impact of Soaring Feed Prices

Rising feed prices due to international grain markets and soaring overseas shipping costs put pressure on dairy farmers' operations; Hokkaido is moving to increase its feed self-sufficiency. The importance of feed self-sufficiency has been emphasized since 2007 when the global grain market rose. However, for the past 30 years, feed self-sufficiency has not increased, hovering around 25%.

Source: Dairy farmers hit by soaring feed prices

Sake – Japanese Culture

A western Japanese sake brewer has published a picture book that introduces making sake through illustrations and is fun for the whole family. This picture book was published with English translation by Suikei Shuzo Co., Ltd. in Kochi City, hoping to spread the forgotten Japanese sake culture to the world.

Source: What is sake? Japan brewery hopes bilingual picture book ferments interest in tradition