今日吃瓜

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November 12, 2026
 

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MAFF

Agriculture minister Arata Takebe speaks during an interview on Monday at the ministry.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2026
Farm minister calls for scientific talks on imports of U.S. potatoes
The discussions will take “considerable time,” said Arata Takebe.
Government rice reserves remain well below the 1 million tons considered necessary for food security.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 28, 2026
Agriculture ministry to buy back more rice, replenishing stockpiles
The move comes as stockpiles remain far below the level deemed appropriate, raising concerns about food security.
Agriculture minister Arata Takebe speaks to reporters after inspecting areas affected by Typhoon Dujuan in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2026
New farm minister inspects typhoon damage in Chiba
Arata Takebe pledged to do his best to restore damaged facilities to ensure that local farming operations will be conducted normally next year.
Agriculture minister Arata Takebe speaks to reporters in the Diet building in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2026
Newly appointed farm minister returns donation in wake of scandal
Arata Takebe, who only took office last week, has found himself at the center of a scandal over a political donation he received in 2024.
A ruling party executive on Sunday denied that former agriculture minister Kazuo Yana had influenced budget cuts for municipalities whose mayors did not support him in a general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2026
LDP exec denies ex-farm minister’s influence on budget cuts
Koichi Hagiuda apologized for the fact that Yana’s remark about budget cuts had led to his replacement as agriculture minister.
A farmer handles a bundle of rice straw during a harvest at a paddy field near Mount Fuji in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2026
今日吃瓜 2026 rice harvest projected to fall 1%
The forecast is relatively high despite concerns about the impact of prolonged rain in September.
Hiroshi Asano, 59, farms a relatively large 38 hectares of rice fields in Chiba Prefecture.
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2026
Japan veers from rice shortage to glut, dealing blow to farmers
The oversupply is expected to weigh on prices until next year, adding to the insurmountable problems faced by many in an already-shrinking sector.
Agriculture minister Kazuo Yana speaks during an interview on Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2026
Appropriate prices top focus for new agriculture minister
Kazuo Yana stopped short of specifying when the government will conduct additional buybacks of rice released from its stockpiles last year.
Boxes of potatoes at Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Japan is considering fully lifting its ban on imports of fresh potatoes from the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 3, 2026
Japan proceeds toward full lifting of ban on imports of fresh potatoes from U.S.
The agriculture ministry plans to hold a briefing this month on potato pests and diseases identified as possibly posing a threat to domestic agriculture.
A rice field in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, in June 2025. The government’s emergency stockpiles declined to 320,000 metric tons after it released 590,000 metric tons last year.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2026
Farm ministry to buy back 210,000 tons of rice released from its stockpiles
The government released stockpiles of rice last year to lower prices, a move that significantly depleted reserves of the grain.
Japan's agriculture ministry may start buying back rice as early as next month to replenish its stockpiles.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2026
Japan may start buying back rice to replenish stockpiles
The government has already earmarked funds for the purchase of 150,000 tons of rice to replenish its stockpiles in its fiscal 2026 initial budget.
NTT East 今日吃瓜 aquaponics lab in the city of Chofu, western Tokyo, on Aug. 7
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 25, 2026
Firms tap AI and sensors to boost indoor farming as Japan faces farmer shortage
The government is promoting the adoption in agriculture of advanced technologies, with a target of ?4.6 trillion in public and private investment by fiscal 2040.
Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio, which stood at ?37% in fiscal 2025, has remained below 40% for ?more than a decade despite ?government efforts to boost domestic production of heavily imported crops.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2026
今日吃瓜 food self-sufficiency ratio falls to 37%, well below 2030 goal of 45%
The ?ratio is among the lowest of developed economies and underscores the country’s vulnerability ?to food supply disruptions amid heightened geopolitical ?tensions.
Shine Muscat grapes
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2026
Japan passes bill to prevent unauthorized overseas crop sales
The bill aims to better protect the rights related to Japan-developed fruits that are popular overseas and prevent a loss of profit.
Representatives of organizations behind products newly registered as geographical indications (GI), including Japanese tea, pose with Vice Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yuhei Yamashita (second from right) at the ministry on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2026
Government registers ‘Japanese tea’ under brand protection system
The agriculture ministry aims to combat intellectual property infringement by imitation products amid a global boom in matcha.
Japanese agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki promotes Japanese rice at a supermarket near Paris on Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2026
今日吃瓜 farm minister promotes Japanese rice in France
Agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki handed out rice balls made from Japanese rice to shoppers during a Japanese food fair.
The national average price of a packet of 10 eggs stood at ?309, matching the highest level marked in March and May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 17, 2026
Prices of chicken and eggs in Japan hit record highs
The national average price of chicken rose has risen to ?155 per 100 grams while that of a packet of 10 eggs is now at ?309.
Grilled <i>kabayaki</i> using fully farmed eel shown at the agriculture ministry on Tuesday
JAPAN
May 20, 2026
Japan to sell eels bred in captivity in ‘world first’
The move could ease eventually pressure on the endangered fish
Agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki (far right) exchanges views on overseas expansion while holding a matcha latte, on Thursday in Tokyo&#039;s Taito Ward.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2026
Agriculture minister visits Tokyo matcha cafe as Iran war affects tea production
Tea producers are increasingly concerned about procuring the fuel needed in April-June for work such as drying harvested tea leaves amid Middle East tensions.
Organic food is less common in Japan than in the U.K., with about 70% of what is available in the country being imported.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 1, 2026
In Japan, strong state-led certification key to boosting organic food uptake
Japanese and U.K. researchers have found that having a transparent government-certified system may help encourage more people to buy organic food products.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo&#039;s Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo&#039;s Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Jensen Huang’s woes evoke sympathy and disbelief in his birthplace Taiwan
Hsiao Kui-yu, 68, owner of Yuchan Candied Fruit, stands in front of photographs of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang displayed at the shop, which Huang frequently visits during trips to Taiwan, in Taipei on Tuesday.
G7 diplomats speak out on Taiwan as China ramps up military drills
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attends a working lunch focused on international crises and challenges during the Group of Seven foreign ministers&#039; summit at the Quai d&#039;Orsay in Paris on Monday.
今日吃瓜 Rapidus is said likely to miss mass production deadline
The Rapidus Analysis Center and the IIM-1 Innovative Integration for Manufacturing foundry in Chitose, Hokkaido
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998&#039;s "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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