Japan News Update #33 (19 July - 1 August, 2022)
Stay updated on the latest agricultural news in Japan, that we publish every two weeks.
by Yuki Sano
Japan’s initiatives toward achieving SDGs
Efforts to reduce food waste and loss are gaining momentum in Japan. To achieve the global goal of halving food waste by 2030, the Japanese government has enacted two laws related to food loss and waste. Furthermore, the government has reviewed national business practices to reduce food loss and waste based on these legal frameworks. In addition to its commitment to the SDGs, Japan is also motivated to address this issue because the incineration of food waste is a major economic burden for Japan’s public sector. Food waste is also at odds with Japan’s efforts to raise its low food self-sufficiency rate.
Source: What a waste! Japan’s food sustainability challenge
Zipair Tokyo Inc., a low-cost airline, headquartered in Narita, will start serving upon reservation new in-flight meals featuring crickets. Two meals will be available: a chili burger with tomatoes on top and pescatore pasta. The firm developed the unique dishes in collaboration with Gryllus Inc., a company from Tokushima University that produces edible crickets.
Source: Zipair becomes first Japanese air carrier to put crickets on menu
Matsuura Orchid, an orchid producer in Aichi prefecture, has developed "Epot," a pot made of corrugated cardboard. It is light, easy to carry, and can be recycled as used paper. After the 2021 lower house election, a large number of orchids, which were given as gifts to celebrate the election to the House of Representatives, were disposed of in large quantities at the waste dump in the Diet members' building, triggering this product development.
Source: Lightweight and eco-friendly cardboard pots developed
The protection agreement of the endangered Japanese eel has been slow to progress. Although China has returned to the talks for the first time in eight years under the framework established by Japan, China, South Korea, and Taiwan, no legally binding regulations have been introduced. Deterioration of the growing environment and overfishing are considered factors in resource decline. To eliminate inappropriate landings and distribution, the Fisheries Agency will strengthen penalties for unauthorized fishing and distribution starting in 2023, and from 2025, it will require businesses that handle eels to provide information such as catch numbers to strengthen resource management.
Source: Endangered species, Japanese eel resource protection not progressing, Undeterred by higher prices, Japanese line up for eel on Day of the Ox
Movements toward price hikes for potatoes and agricultural inputs
Months-long shortages of US french fries imports have caused Japanese restaurants to either rely on Chinese fries or take them off their menus. Nationwide, imports of French fries from China have surged since November. Japan imported 1,300 tons in April, 27 times more than the same month a year earlier. Although Chinese imports still account for only 3% of all imported frozen French fries, this change shows how the Japanese food service industry is looking for alternatives. There is also a movement to ship fries from Europe. However, replacing the large, mechanized US suppliers isn't easy. This year, the unit price of French fries imported from the US to Japan is 30% to 90% higher than the same month in 2019.
Source: Japan's french fry shortage supersizes imports from China
The Japanese government and ruling party have decided to allocate just under 80 billion yen for a new system to compensate for the rising fertilizer cost. The aim is to support farmers whose business is deteriorating due to ballooning production costs. Under the new plan, the government will retroactively pay 70% of the fertilizer price increase for purchases after June. Fertilizers to be used from next spring to summer will also be covered. Only farmers who have reduced the amount of fertilizer used on their farms by 20% or more will be eligible for the payment. The government and ruling party make final adjustments on whether to broaden the payment requirements.
Source: Government considers to compensate for soaring fertilizer prices
New research and technology in the agricultural sector
In collaboration with the University of Tokyo and the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Professor Mayura Takada of Chuo University has determined when insects that pollinate plants visit flowers to produce more fruits and seeds. Analysis of lotus flowers revealed that the more bees visited flowers between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. on the second day of flowering, the greater the production. In the future, they plan to expand their research to crops other than lotus flowers to elucidate the behavior of pollinators that will increase the yield of more crops.
Source: Chuo University Finds Out What Timing Insects Visit Flowers to Improve Harvest Production, Press release
Happy Quality, an agricultural startup in Shizuoka prefecture, has launched a sorting machine that can instantly measure the amount of lycopene and sugar in tomatoes. The machine uses near-infrared sensors to non-destructively measure and automatically sort tomatoes by lycopene content, sugar content, and size. The firm will capture the needs of tomato growers who want to highlight their tomatoes' high lycopene content and sweetness. The price is expected to be 50-60 million yen (370,000 euros). The company aims to sell five units per year at first.
Source: Agritech Startup Launches Sorting Machine to Measure Active Ingredients in Tomatoes
Current farm production trend in Japan
Conversion to "profitable farmland" with high agricultural output per area is underway in many areas. For example, Kochi Prefecture introduces Dutch technology to data-enable greenhouse cultivation. In 2009, the prefecture signed an agreement with the Netherlands for the introduction of environmental control technology for greenhouses, and a prototype of a system called the "Internet of Plants (IoP) Cloud" has been put into operation, sharing data via the Internet; full-scale operation is scheduled to begin in September. In Hiroshima Prefecture, organically grown, high unit price mini-tomatoes are gaining popularity. In the top-ranked prefectures of Gunma and Yamanashi, farmers are flexibly responding to changes in the world by expanding the production of cut vegetables and switching to more price-competitive products.
Source: Expanding conversion to “income-generating farmland” with high agricultural output per area, Agricultural productivity improved by 30% in Gunma by shifting to high-value-added products
NTT Agri-Technology was established in 2019 to streamline agriculture, forestry, and fisheries using NTT Group's sensors, AI, and IoT technologies. The company has farms in Chofu City, Tokyo, and Chuo City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and practices smart agriculture itself. They ship tomatoes and lettuce to the market.
Source: Japan’s telecommunications company NTT group grows tomatoes and lettuces using AI and IoT