Agriculture In Japan Research Articles

Digital and traditional media advertising and business performance of agribusiness firms - Empirical evidence in Japan

Can digital media advertising strategies benefit agribusiness farms? This study addresses this issue by investigating the extent to which digital and traditional media advertising strategies affect agribusiness performance and the underlying factors associated with agribusiness farms' adoption decisions. We estimate a non-linear simultaneous equation system and use a population-based survey data of agricultural processing farms in Japan. We find that female and younger farm operators', as well as incorporated agribusiness farms, are more likely to adopt digital media advertising. The sales value of digital media advertising users is higher by 51% than that of non-users. Moreover, the effect of digital advertising is not equally distributed among farms. Family farms and farms located in rural areas benefit more from the adoption of digital media advertising.

Newly-designed primer pairs for the detection of type 2 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus genes

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an infectious disease, caused by PRRS virus (PRRSV), that critically affects the swine industry. While the detection of PRRSV genes plays a key role in PRRS control, the PRRSV genome is known to undergo frequent mutation. Nevertheless, primer pairs widely used for the detection of PRRSV genes were designed between 1995 and 2010. The reliability of these primer pairs for the detection of currently circulating PRRSVs is therefore questionable. Here, we investigated the sensitivity of the previously reported primer pairs to detect PRRSV genes that have been recently isolated or detected in Japan. In addition, based on nucleotide sequences from the recent Japanese PRRSVs, we designed four new primer pairs for the detection of PRRSV genes. The sensitivity and specificity of the new primer pairs were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR using RNA extracted from PRRSV isolates, swine serum, and oral fluid specimens collected from PRRS-affected pigs, and swine sera collected from a PRRSV-free pig farm in Japan. One of novel primer pairs used in our study exhibited greater sensitivity than the previously reported primer pairs, and is thus more reliable for the detection of PRRSV genes.

Seroprevalence of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in Small-Animal Veterinarians and Nurses in the Japanese Prefecture with the Highest Case Load.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is the causative agent of SFTS, an emerging tick-borne disease in East Asia, and is maintained in enzootic cycles involving ticks and a range of wild animal hosts. Direct transmission of SFTSV from cats and dogs to humans has been identified in Japan, suggesting that veterinarians and veterinary nurses involved in small-animal practice are at occupational risk of SFTSV infection. To characterize this risk, we performed a sero-epidemiological survey in small-animal-practice workers and healthy blood donors in Miyazaki prefecture, which is the prefecture with the highest per capita number of recorded cases of SFTS in Japan. Three small-animal-practice workers were identified as seropositive by ELISA, but one had a negative neutralization-test result and so was finally determined to be seronegative, giving a seropositive rate of 2.2% (2 of 90), which was significantly higher than that in healthy blood donors (0%, 0 of 1000; p < 0.05). The seroprevalence identified here in small-animal-practice workers was slightly higher than that previously reported in other high-risk workers engaged in agriculture and forestry in Japan. Thus, enhancement of small-animal-practice workers’ awareness of biosafety at animal hospitals is necessary for control of SFTSV.

Experimental research on wake steering method for the installation of optimal offshore wind farm in Japan

Experimental research on wake steering method for the installation of optimal offshore wind farm in Japan

АНАЛИЗ ЗАРУБЕЖНОГО ОПЫТА ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ В СЕЛЬСКОМ ХОЗЯЙСТВЕ НА ПРИМЕРЕ АВСТРАЛИИ И СТРАН АЗИИ

The paper contains the results of studying the conditions, processes and tools for the digitali-zation of agriculture in Japan, South Korea and Australia, which have common soil and climatic conditions and specialization in production with some regions of Russia, the identity of the problems in the implementa-tion of digital transformations. As a result, the most relevant solutions for Russia were identified in the state strategy for the digitalization of the industry in the aspects of collaboration between science, education and production, areas of state support.

Current Forest Management by Forest Producers’ Cooperatives Based on the 2005, 2010, and 2015 Censuses of Agriculture and Forestry in Japan

Current Forest Management by Forest Producers’ Cooperatives Based on the 2005, 2010, and 2015 Censuses of Agriculture and Forestry in Japan

Review of Direct Payments for Less-Favoured Areas: Evidence from Japan

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery (MAFF) in Japan launched direct payment for hilly and mountainous areas considered as less-favored areas in 2000 with aim of preventing further farmland abandonment in the areas, compensating the farmers working in such disadvantaged regions for their costly production, and enhance agricultural multi-functionality through community cooperation. This review examines the effect of direct payments on continuous land use, prevention of farmland, agrarian structural change, environmental dimension, and income inequality through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Also, I connected the empirical results to theoretical economics using simple profit functions.

Anaphylaxis after rabies vaccination for dogs in Japan.

Severe adverse reactions after rabies vaccination in dogs were examined from 317 cases reported to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Japan during 15-year period from April 2004 to March 2019. We found that 109 of the 317 dogs showed anaphylaxis (0.15/100,000 vaccinated dogs), and 71 of the 109 cases of anaphylaxis resulted in death (0.10/100,000 vaccinated dogs). We measured bovine serum albumin (BSA) in four commercially available rabies vaccines and found the levels ranged from 0.1 to 16.6 µg/dose. Our survey showed that the rate of anaphylaxis to rabies vaccines in dogs is rare, although some cases of anaphylaxis resulted in death. Veterinarians should be well prepared to deal with vaccine-associated anaphylaxis.

Breeding and characterization of the world’s first practical rice variety with resistance to brown spot (&lt;i&gt;Bipolaris oryzae&lt;/i&gt;) bred using marker-assisted selection

Brown spot (BS) caused by Bipolaris oryzae is a serious disease of rice and decreases grain yield. Breeding for BS resistance is an economical solution but has not hitherto been achieved. To develop a practical BS-resistant variety, we introduced a chromosomal segment including a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for BS resistance, qBSfR11, derived from the BS-resistant local resource ‘Tadukan’, into the genetic background of the high-yielding but susceptible ‘Mienoyume’. Resistance is controlled by a single recessive gene in a 1.3-Mbp region. We named this gene bsr1 (brown spot resistance 1). The near-isogenic line bsr1-NIL had a greater yield with larger grain width than Mienoyume but similar other agronomic traits in fields where BS was mild; it had a significantly lower BS disease score and a 28.8% higher yield in fields where BS was more severe, and it showed resistance to multiple isolates of BS fungus. It showed stable resistance to BS and had excellent agricultural traits in the presence of BS. We developed the bsr1-NIL with resistance to BS and applied it for variety registration to Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan as ‘Mienoyume BSL’. This is the first report for the BS resistant rice variety bred using marker-assisted selection.

An Analysis of Forest Management Entities Who Conducted Forestry Practices and/or Made Forest Management Plans Based on the Census of Agriculture and Forestry in Japan (Academic Article) (Special Feature：What “Census of Agriculture and Forestry” can Reveal about Forestry？)

An Analysis of Forest Management Entities Who Conducted Forestry Practices and/or Made Forest Management Plans Based on the Census of Agriculture and Forestry in Japan (Academic Article) (Special Feature：What “Census of Agriculture and Forestry” can Reveal about Forestry？)

Human metapneumovirus-associated community-acquired pneumonia in adults during the first wave of COVID-19.

Objective: The clinical course of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infection is similar to that of coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19). However, community-acquired hMPV infections in adults have not yet been sufficiently investigated. We examined the detection status of hMPV antigens and the clinical features of positive patients during the first wave of COVID-19, which coincided with the epidemic season of hMPV infection in Japan.Methods: In this cross-sectional, observational, and single-center study, we recruited consecutive individuals who visited the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Kochi Hospital due to fever, respiratory symptoms, or close contact with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected persons during the period from January to May 2020.Results: The positive rate of immunochromatography for hMPV antigens from nasopharyngeal swabs was 9.5% (4/42), and four positive cases were community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) (5.3% of all CAP). The positive rate of hMPV antigens in the CAP group (30.8%, 4/13) was higher than that in the non-pneumonia group (0.0%, 0/19) (p < 0.05). The average age of the four adult patients with CAP was 69.8 years (range 35–93). Mean white blood cell counts and C-reactive protein blood levels were 6,250 cells/μL (3,500–12,180) and 4.30 mg/dL (4.05–7.04), respectively. Chest computed tomography images were diverse and two patients showed dense consolidation. No multi-organ disorder was noted during the clinical course in any of the four cases, and their prognoses were good.Conclusion: hMPV infection may be considered in the differential diagnosis of COVID-19 and CAP in Japan under the preventive measures for SARS-CoV-2 infection, at least during the epidemic season of hMPV infection.

Characteristics and Issues of Agricultural Enterprises under a Labor Shortage: A Study of Questionnaire Survey to Members of Japan Agricultural Corporation Society

Characteristics and Issues of Agricultural Enterprises under a Labor Shortage: A Study of Questionnaire Survey to Members of Japan Agricultural Corporation Society

Comparison of Prefectural Administrative Systems about Supporting for Community-based Countermeasure to Wildlife

In low upland and other agricultural areas, agricultural damage caused by wildlife continues to be a major problem. Various manuals, research materials, and research findings indicate the importance of implementing measures at village and community levels to control such damage. However, typical village residents or farming households are unfamiliar with the techniques and methods used as countermeasures against agricultural damage caused by wildlife. Thus, social education and community support have an important role to play in the effective implementation of control measures. In agricultural technology, such education and support has traditionally been carried out by agricultural extension workers and Japan Agricultural Cooperatives consultants ; however, their role in controlling agricultural damage caused by wildlife remains unclear. In this study, we selected prefectures considered to have a strong focus on countermeasures against agricultural damage caused by wildlife and investigated the content, degree of involvement, and evaluations of efforts to create villages resistant to such damage. Progress has been made in creating such villages in prefectures that had designated individuals responsible for community support of countermeasures against agricultural damage caused by wildlife within centers such as regional agricultural extension offices. In contrast, in prefectures that did not have such designated individuals, no progress has been made in community support, and the impact of countermeasures against agricultural damage caused by wildlife was unclear. The results of this study indicate the importance of designating individuals responsible for community support of countermeasures against agricultural damage caused by wildlife in prefectural government regional offices.

Turkey and Japan Agricultural and Mechanization Status Comparison

Objective: This study is a pilot study in terms of new connections and technology transfers that can be created between Japan and Turkey, aimed to provide recommendations by comparing Japanese and Turkish agriculture. Material and Methods: Agriculture and agricultural data were collected, calculated, and analyzed from statistical and written sources. Comparable data were taken and compared.Results: Japan's total agricultural area is approximately 12% of Turkey. Mechanical power supply tractors, one of the main power sources used in agriculture, are found in almost the same number in both countries. However, the soil structure, the product produced and the size of the land in the country affect the choice of tractor. Therefore, while in Japan the average tractor power is between 18 to 30 kW, 44 to 52 kW in Turkey. In both countries, each agricultural business has at least 1 tractor. The number of tractors used in the cultivation of 1000 hectares gives us information to make a comparison about the small scale of the agricultural land used. 1000 hectares of land in Japan when processing 310 tractors, this situation is 55 tractors in Turkey. While the average age of farmers in Japan 67, the average is 55 in Turkey. Conclusion: The population dealing with agriculture should be rejuvenated and the machines used should be made more technological. More effective production can be made with sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. In this way, both the reduction of input costs and the labor force, and the sustainability of agriculture with projects can be aimed at young people are ensured.

Digitalization of Agriculture Sector in Japan

Purpose: this article includes the review of the Japanese policy on the digital transformation transformation of the agricultural sector, description and analysis of the implementation cases, as well as identification of obstacles to achieve the expected results.Methods: the study uses the methods of structural, comparative and systems analysis and the principle of formal logic. The article is based on the analysis of scientific and analytical materials devoted to the problem of research. The factual basis is the framework documents of the Cabinet of Japan, media, reports of Japanese research institutes.Results: the article provides a brief review and analysis of the Japanese public of digital transformation of the agricultural sector, provides some cases, summarizes the interim results of the measures taken, identifies problematic factors that prevent the achievement of the expected results. The hypothesis is put forward about the key role of the government in the process of developing new standards for the digital transformation.Conclusions and Relevance: Japan agricultural sector is facing a severe labor shortage. The situation is expected to get worse in the next 5 years. The Japanese government expects that digital technologies and autonomous equipment will compensate for the lack of labor on farms, as well as provide a new stage in the development of the traditional agricultural sector. However, the digitalization of agriculture sector is not limited to the introduction of the latest technology, but also involves the development of new safety rules for the use of robotic tractors, unmanned aerial vehicles, improving farmers ICT education, and standardizing new agricultural terms. However, despite the promise of using digital technologies, the high cost of new equipment and the complexity of its use is a significant obstacle to the digitalization of agriculture in Japan. The study of the features of the digital transformation of the Japanese agricultural sector is very important for the effective implementation of industry projects that exist today in Russia.

Food security and sustainability: exploring Japanese youth participation in agriculture

There are many challenges in assuring the sustainability of food supply in the context of expanding Japanese population. Insufficient participation of Japanese youth in the agricultural industry is among the issues in food sustainability which has prompted the Japanese government to ensure more youth engagement in the sector for its continuity. The youth are considered as vanguards who would bring changes in the Japanese agriculture industry as the number of ageing farmers in the country is increasing. In Japan, agriculture is one of the most important industries as it contributes about 1.1% to overall national GDP. Thus, a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was conducted with 7 Japanese youth who are involved in the agriculture industry in the country to identify their socio-economic characteristics, to determine the factors influencing their participation and the constraints, and to assess the perceptions, perspectives, and understandings of youth towards food security, safety and sustainability in agriculture development. The in-depth face-to-face interviews were used to collect data from 7 young Japanese farmers using both purposive and snowball sampling based on the availability of youth farmers in Japan. The data were analysed and categorized into 5 broad themes. The analysis revealed that family support, tradition, passion, economic factor, and working environment are the factors that influence their participation in the industry. It can be suggested that participation of youth in Japan agriculture industry can be nurtured and sustained with several promotional approaches to youth on what the industry can offer them and their country in the future. Moreover, the motivational drive from their families would undoubtedly encourage them to join the industry. These findings are expected to have significant information and knowledge to extend the literature on Japanese youth participation in agriculture and help formulate the action plan needed for the youth development strategies for Japan agriculture in the future

Bursa atrophy at 28 days old caused by variant infectious bursal disease virus has a negative economic impact on broiler farms in Japan

ABSTRACT Infectious bursal disease (IBD), caused by IBD virus (IBDV), is highly contagious, immunosuppressive and causes a negative economic impact on poultry industry. IBDV-vaccinated broiler farms at south Kyushu, Japan had a bursa-to-bodyweight ratio (BB ratio) reduction at 28 days (d) old, followed by high mortality 30 d later. We analysed the influence of the IBDV on atrophy of the bursa of fabricius (BF) and the subsequent mortality after 30 d. Ten broilers were sampled at each timepoint from the farm with high mortality at 21, 25, 28 and 35 d. A second flock from the same farm was sampled at 14, 21, 25, 28, 35 and 42 d. IBDV was detected in BF samples at 25, 28 and 35 d and at 21, 25, 28 and 35 d in the first and second flocks, respectively, using immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR. IBDV isolates from both flocks were closely related to the China KM523643 strain. Histopathology and TUNEL assay indicated apoptosis, severe lymphoid depletion, vacuoles within follicles, lymphoid follicle atrophy and fibrosis in the BF. We observed 75% of the polyserositis and 10% of the airsacculitis at 30 D in dead broilers. The antigenic variant IBDV infection was appeared to be the main influencing factor on BF atrophy and BB ratio reduction in the broilers. High mortality in the broilers after 30 d could be due to secondary infection. The disease caused by IBDV had a negative economic impact in the farm. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS New variant IBDV caused bursa atrophy and reduced BB ratio in 28-day-old broilers. After vIBDV had infected broilers, at 21 days old they became immunosuppressed. High mortality at 30 days old in broilers was due to secondary infection. New vIBDV has a negative economic impact on broiler farms in Japan.

Nitrogen balance and use efficiency on dairy farms in Japan: a comparison among farms at different scales

In recent decades, the rate of milk production per unit land area and per cow has increased with the intensification of the dairy system. The possible environmental risks arising from nutrients surpluses, such as nitrogen (N), are often evaluated using the N balance approach. In Hokkaido, the biggest dairy farming area in Japan, many dairy farms have started introducing a new dairy farming system called the total mixed ration (TMR) and biogas system. Feed and manure are managed at a community scale in these systems while each farm focuses primarily on milking cows. Thus, calculating the N balance for this system is complicated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the N surplus and use efficiency (NUE), focusing mainly on the community-based dairy farming system, as described above. We investigated twenty dairy farms comprising a TMR centre (TMR-based farms) and nineteen conventional dairy farms (conventional farms). The Hokkaido dairy farms had a smaller N surplus and higher NUE than farms in other countries. The whole farm N surplus and NUE ranged from −163 to 701 kg N ha−1 and from 20% to 171% with median values of 40.5 kg N ha−1 and 69.5%, respectively. One of the possible reasons for the smaller N surplus and higher NUE is a lower stocking rate (averaged 1.3 cows ha−1) on Hokkaido dairy farms. There were strong relationships between feed N and N surplus because the studied dairy farms depended on purchased feed. In the comparison between the TMR centre and conventional dairy farms, the milk production level per cow and stocking rate tended to increase, and variations between farms decreased on the TMR-based farms. Increasing the amount of home-grown feed with pasture management is essential to decreasing N surplus for the new dairy farming systems.

Study of Structural Change in Paddy Agriculture under Reorganization of Direct Payment Policy

Rice has long been an integral part of Japan's culture and economy, as well as an important commodity in Japan-US relations, but farmers in Japan are concerned that trouble is afoot due to competition from countries such as the US, where rice production is more competitive, as well as reorganization of direct payment policy. The question is, how can rice production in Japan remain competitive amidst such competition? One researcher is seeking to shed light on the situation and explore how paddy agriculture in Japan can potentially flourish. Dr Kunio Nishikawa is based at Ibaraki University, Japan, whose Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)-funded work is exploring the discrepancy in crop output in the US versus Japan, and seeking to find new ways to boost Japan's agriculture.

Analytical Study of Natural and Agricultural Resources Affecting Educational Spending in Japan

Japan's natural resources are insufficient, especially agricultural lands whose area is not sufficient for the population's need for food, in addition to being a country suffering from natural disasters, and despite this, Japan's economy has reached a global position. Using the estimate of the gradual linear regression equation, it is clear that an increase in mineral resources revenues by one billion dollars leads to an increase in education spending by 1007 million dollars, and it is evident from the increase in the added value of agriculture in Japan by one billion dollars, which leads to an increase in education spending by 1.89 billion dollars. An increase in the total value of agricultural output by one billion dollars leads to a decrease in spending on education by 13 million dollars, while it was found that increasing the agricultural land’s contribution from the land area by 1% leads to a decrease in the agreement on education by 65.4 billion dollars, as it turns out The increase in the number of students in elementary school in Japan by one million pupils leads to an increase in the agreement on education by 400 thousand dollars. It is also clear from the equation that increasing the number of students in technical education in Japan by one million pupils leads to an increase in education spending by 100 thousand dollars, while increasing the number of teachers in secondary education by one million teachers leads to an increase in education spending by one million dollars.