Japan News Update #39 (18-31 Oct, 2022)

Japanese focus towards sustainable consumption

Japan's leading household goods company Kao, a significant coffee maker UCC holdings, and big confectionery makers Lotte and Meiji are upping their efforts to obtain socially and environmentally sustainable materials. The changes are in reaction to a rising customer desire for items produced in ecologically friendly and human-rights-compliant settings. A consortium of companies, including chocolate and coffee makers, has begun an attempt to promote ethical food, creating a scoring system that informs customers about how goods are manufactured and their environmental effects.

Source: Japan consumer goods sector buys into sustainable procurement; Group aims to assign ethical scores to food in Japan

According to the Fisheries Agency, changes in the marine environment caused by global warming are the reason for lower catches of saury, squid, salmon, and other staples of the Japanese diet. By an expert, catches of Japanese-prized species have been steadily declining since 2014. Unfortunately, most Japanese people have yet to detect the tiny changes in the fish they consume.

Source: Thin fish, small catches: can Japan’s sushi culture survive climate crisis?

Japan’s efforts to boost Trade with the EU

Japan and the EU convened their second High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED). The conference allowed the EU to express concerns regarding delayed market access for EU agri-food exporters due to Japan's lengthy and costly sanitary and phytosanitary licensing procedures. The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) went into effect in 2018. It has proven to be the cornerstone of the EU-Japan economic partnership.

Source: EU and Japan strengthen economic cooperation through High Level Dialogue

Japan port cities kicked off events in Paris to increase local agricultural food exports to France and attract more visitors from the nation. The cities have set up booths at one of Europe's largest food trade shows and a tourism event. They promote traditional Japanese dishes, traditional artworks, and local cuisine culture through two events.

Source: Japan port cities showcase local food, tourism at Paris event

Japanese maker, retail and bank developments

Luxury customers in Japan have been slower to adopt internet buying than their counterparts in China, Europe, and the United States. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 outbreak has expedited Japan's adoption of e-commerce. Luxury customers said they still prefer a physical touchpoint in their buying process two years into the pandemic.

Source: Japanese luxury shoppers are embracing omnichannel

Norinchukin Bank, a Japanese agricultural, fisheries, and forestry cooperative bank, has joined Paine Schwartz Partners, a US equity company focused on sustainable food chain investing. Norinchukin intends to contribute to agricultural growth by establishing a network of abroad and local growers and food manufacturers. Norinchukin is increasing its investments in agricultural and food-related funds; in March 2022, it invested in AgFunder, a US venture capital business with a mission to transform the food and agriculture system.

Source: Norinchukin Bank partners with a US food fund company

Major Japanese food manufacturers are inventing all-in-one goods that are delicious, easy to prepare, and nutritionally balanced. For example, Kikkoman Corp., a major soy sauce maker, launched the Daizumen, meaning soy noodle, range of low-carb and high-protein noodles made from a blend of flour and soybean powder.

Source: Japan Food Makers Releasing Tasty Nutritious Products

Flower and Plants news

In Japan, the chrysanthemum denotes autumn and is frequently used as a floral offering or as a Buddhist flower. Its elaborate bloom is also the Imperial Family's symbol and appears on Japanese passports. In Japan, the chrysanthemum is also a popular edible flower. The most popular method of consumption is to soak the bloom in hot water.

Source: The Chrysanthemum: Japan’s Fall Flower and Imperial Symbol

Plants may utilize hormones to communicate under the soil and regulate their growth above it when they detect the presence of nearby plants, according to a study headed by Ehime University associate professor Kaori Yoneyama. The researchers concentrated on strigolactones, hormones that inhibit above-ground branching.

Source: Japan-led team finds plants may be using hormones to communicate, control growth

Bird flu season has started in Japan

A bird flu epidemic has been discovered at a poultry farm in Okayama, a western Japanese prefecture. It is the first such instance found this season on Japanese farms. There were two further occurrences, one in Hokkaido and one in Kagawa. As of October, no avian influenza outbreaks had been reported on farms in Japan, according to the agricultural ministry.

Source: Japan Confirms This Season's 1st Bird Flu Case, Japan Confirms This Season's 1st Bird Flu Outbreaks, Japan detects possible 3rd incident of bird flu outbreak