Number 57
November 19, 1993
A weekly update of news from the Japanese
Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries
Public Relations Office,Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries
Kasumigaseki 1-2-1,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 100
Tel:81-3-3591-2874 Fax:81-3-3592-7697
Editor.Taiitsu Igarashi
1993 Emperor's Cups Awarded in Seven Sectors of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries
The Emperor's Cup awards for distinguished individual or group achievements have been announced in seven sectors of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The awards are as follows:
- Cereal: Daima Farming Corporation (rice and barley)
- Horticulture: Mr. Masaharu Itakura (Unshu mandarins)
- Livestock: Satsuma County Wagyu Breeding Cooperative
- Other Agricultural Products: Mr. Shotsugu Kawauchi (rush for tatami mats)
- Forestry: Mr. Keizaburo Ohashi (forestry management)
- Fisheries: Marutoyo Food Co., Inc. (fish processing)
- Rural Construction: Wako District people's organization
The award winners will receive their prizes at a ceremony on November 23 - Labor Thanksgiving Day - at the Meiji Jingu Shrine in Tokyo.
Contact: Administration Division, Minister's Secretariat
Telephone: (03) 3580-6860 (Mr. Takezawa)
Ceremony Held to Commemorate Centenary of Agricultural Research
On November 17, a ceremony to commemorate the centenary of agricultural research in Japan was held at the Worshippers' Hall of the Meiji Jingu Shrine. The Crown Prince and Princess attended the ceremony, along with people involved in agricultural research at national, prefectural and private research institutions, some of whom were presented with awards by the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, the chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council and the president of the Agricultural Research Centennial Anniversary Executive Committee.
Full-scale agricultural research was initiated in Japan in 1893, when the Central Experiment Station was set up in Nishigahara, Tokyo. In the ensuing 100 years, a large number of national and prefectural research institutions have been established. The technological achievements of these institutions have contributed greatly to progress in farming, the prosperity of rural farming areas and the improvement of the national standard of living.
Contact: Policy Planning and Research Division, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Research Council
Telephone: (03) 3501-4609 (Mr. Hasegawa)
Government Selling Price of Rice Remains Unchanged, Price of Wheat Cut 10.4%
Following a request from the government, on November 9 the Rice Price Council submitted a report on the government selling prices of rice, wheat and barley. The council recommended no change in the price of rice and a price cut of 10.4% for wheat and barley. Based on the council's recommendations, the government decided the prices on November 10 and reported to the cabinet on November 12. The prices will take effect from December 20, 1993.
Contact: Planning Division, Food Agency
Telephone: (03) 3501-3884 (Mr. Ohmura)
Staple Rice Import Announced
On November 11, the Food Agency announced that it would import 900,000 tons of rice for use as a staple by the end of the current fiscal year. This import is in addition to the 200,000-ton import of rice for processing that was announced at the end of September, for which negotiations are already under way.
The details of the latest import are still under discussion, with stable imports of rice to meet
domestic demand in terms of both quality and quantity being considered.
Declaration on Sustainable Forest Management in Japan Made
At the 15th conference of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Yoshio Hironaka, the director of the Private Forest Management Department of the Forestry Agency, delivered a speech in which he declared that Japan, as a country that has a developed forestry sector and possesses both temperate and boreal forests, will continue its policy of sustainable forest management.
Contact: Office of International Forestry Cooperation, Forestry Agency
Telephone: (03) 3591-8449 (Mr. Nishimura)
STATISTICS
The following statistics are available from the Planning and Coordination Division of the Statistics and Information Department: Tel. (03) 3591-2657.
- General 10-Day Statistical Report on the Marketing of Vegetables and Fruits, 3rd Part,
October 1993.
- Statistics on the Marketing of Eggs, July, August and September 1993.
- Monthly Forecast of Production and Shipment of Vegetables (Fall-Winter Chinese
Cabbages and Japanese Radishes), as of November 5, 1993.
- Value of Fishery Production, 1992.
- Planted Area, Production and Shipment of Spring Planted Potatoes, 1993 (Hokkaido
Prefecture).
- Statistics on the Marketing of Flowers, September 1993.
- Warehousing Information on Statistics of Frozen Fisheries Products Marketing,
October 1993.
Notes:
- All materials are in Japanese unless otherwise noted.
- The contacts may not be able to respond to inquiries in any language except Japanese.