TPP: Rural Japan Under Serious Threat By “Operation Enemy” November 02, 2011 The TPP negotiations seem to be hi-jacked by American rice growers and large grain exporting corporations. This is in spite of the fact that liberalization of the rice sector would have devastating effects on rural Japan. We cannot understand why the Japanese [...]
Report from IFOAM Organic World Congress Part 1 I had the opportunity to participate together with organic farmers and activists from Japan during the IFOAM Organic World Congress held in South Korea in September, 2011. It was the first time the global federation of organic associations held such a large meeting in Asia. Here we [...]
CUJ JR 153 (pdf) Japan Resources No 153 Japan finds itself in an extraordinary situation, 6 months after the massive 9.0 earthquake and tsunami On March 11, 2011. The nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, where 4 reactors were damaged, is still not under full control. This issue of Japan Resources deals with the aftermath, after a [...]
Some General Observations from the Consumer Perspective Regarding Food Safety in Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster on March 11, 2011 20110711 Regarding Food Safety (PDF version) July 11, 2011 Martin J. Frid Consumers Union of Japan The effects of the extraordinary catastrophe on March 11, 2011 in northeastern Japan are difficult [...]
To: Food Safety Commission From: Food Safety Citizens Watch & Consumers Union of Japan March 24, 2011 Regarding Limits for Radioactive Substances in Food On March 20, Japan’s Food Safety Commission received a request from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for opinions regarding regulation limits for radioactive materials in the Food Sanitation [...]
By Yamaura Yasuaki, Consumers Union of Japan In October 2010, Prime Minister Kan suddenly declared in a policy speech to the Parliament that Japan would participate in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). There is strong opposition coming not only from farmer’s organizations and local authorities, but also among elected politicians within Prime Minister Kan’s own [...]
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an economic forum promoting the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investments, economic and technical cooperation, and related issues. Many NGOs from Japan and other coutries participated in the No! APEC Yokohama People’s Forum. Yokohama People’s Declaration (Summary) November 14,2010 The No! APEC Yokohama People’s Forum gathered on November 13-14, 2010 [...]
Japan has a long history of organic farming. One of the leaders, Ishizu Fumio from Shiga Prefecture has been active during 2010 together with the Japan Citizens’ Network for Planet Diversity (MOP5 Network) and the No! GMO Campaign. As a farmer, he has successfully shown that traditional organic farming techniques that do not rely on pesticides [...]
Bio Journal, the publication by Citizens’ Biotechnology Information Center (CBIC) has made a detailed analysis of some of the most pressing issues that were discussed at the MOP5/COP10 meeting in Nagoya in October 2010. The results of the negotiations regarding Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and the new Aichi Target (20 objectives for biodiversity protection through [...]
The Problems of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement Yamaura Yasuaki Secretary General of Consumers Union of Japan November 3, 2010 (1) The Problems of FTA/EPA Currently, the participation in TPP is a very large political issue for Japan. We regard TPP as simply a part of the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) that have come into [...]
