MAFF Reorganization Replaces Food Agency with Food Safety & Consumer  Affairs Bureau

 A reorganization of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), effective as of July 1, created a new Food Safety & Consumer Affairs Bureau (previously referred to in this publication by the provisional name “Consumer Safety Bureau”) with a view to restoring public trust and peace of mind in relation to food safety and promoting a consumer-oriented approach to food administration, and established new Food Safety & Consumer Affairs Departments within the District Agriculture Offices (which replace the Local Food Agency Offices) and Regional Agricultural Administration Offices.  Under the new organization, a total of 4,500 staff at central and local offices will work to assure food safety and peace of mind as set out in the Policy Framework for Food Safety and Peace of Mind, published in June.

 As part of the same reorganization, the Food Agency, responsible for staple food administration for half a century, was disbanded and its duties were taken over by a new Staple Food Department, established within the General Food Policy Bureau, which will have overall responsibility for assuring food supply stability, including administrative authority over the food industry.

 The International Affairs Department, formerly part of the General Food Policy Bureau, was also transferred to the Minister’s Secretariat, to facilitate a coordinated approach to international issues such as the WTO agricultural trade negotiations.

 A chart showing the new organization can be viewed at

http://www.maff.go.jp/eindex.html

 A number of personnel transfers were made in conjunction with the reorganization.  The major executive appointments include:
Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: Mr. Yoshiaki Watanabe
Vice-Minister for International Affairs: Mr. Hiroyuki Kinoshita
Director-General of Minister’s Secretariat: Mr. Yoshio Kobayashi
Director-General for Policy Coordination, Minister’s Secretariat: Mr. Ariyuki Matsumoto
Director-General for International Affairs, Minister’s Secretariat: Mr. Hidenori Murakami
Director-General, International Affairs Department,Minister’s Secretariat: Mr. Kozo Konishi
Director-General of General Food Policy Bureau: Mr. Kikuhito Sugata
Director-General of Staple Food Department: Mr. Toshihiko Takemoto
Director-General of Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau: Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa
Director-General of Agricultural Production Bureau: Mr. Toshiro Shirasu
Director-General of Livestock Industry Department,Agricultural Production Bureau: Mr. Michio Ide
Director-General of Management Improvement Bureau: Mr. Hidesaburo Kawamura
Director-General of Rural Development Bureau: Mr. Shinsuke Ohta
Director-General of Council’s Secretariat,Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council:
Mr. Ichiro Ishihara
Director-General of Forestry Agency: Mr. Mamoru Ishihara
Director-General of Fisheries Agency: Mr. Fumio Tahara
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 Food Safety Commission Chairman Calls for Internationally Recognized Risk Evaluations

 A new Food Safety Commission was established within the Cabinet Office on July 1.  The Commission, which has a membership of seven newly appointed commissioners, will evaluate the risk to health presented by foods independently from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), and is intended to serve as the mainstay of a drive to restore public confidence in the safety of food, undermined by the BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) crisis and other recent events.

 At its first meeting, also convened on July 1, the Commission chose Mr. Masaaki Terada, former president of the National Cancer Center, to be its chairman.  At the same time, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appointed Mr. SadakazuTanigaki, until now Chairman of the Food Safety Commission, to the post of Minister of State with responsibility for Food Safety.

 Mr. Terada stressed the importance of taking international standards into consideration when evaluating risk, saying, “It is the Commission’s duty to conduct risk evaluations that will be recognized worldwide”.  He also stated the need for disclosure, cooperation between government ministries and agencies and a systematic assignation of responsibility.

 Mr. Tanigaki described the Commission as “the keystone of food safety administration” and expressed the hope that it would “discuss a wide range of issues relating to food safety in a scientific and intelligible manner”.

 The Commission will meet once a week and, as a rule, will publish accounts of its proceedings.  The most urgent tasks facing the Commission in the short term are evaluations of the safety of agricultural chemicals, food additives and animal pharmaceuticals.
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 MAFF Decides Food Safety Policy Framework:  National Health is First Priority

 On June 20, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) convened a meeting of the Headquarters for the Promotion of Policy for Food Safety and Peace of Mind, which officially decided a "Policy Framework for Food Safety and Peace of Mind" providing guidelines for an approach to food safety administration whose first priority is to safeguard the health of the nation.  In conjunction with the establishment of the new Food Safety and Consumer Affairs Bureau on July 1, the Framework calls for MAFF to promote risk communication activities (encouraging persons and entities concerned to exchange information and views on food safety) and for the policy-making process to reflect the views of consumers.

 By way of systems to help ensure the delivery of safe food to the table, MAFF will encourage farmers and food manufacturers who actually supply food to manage and use production materials in an appropriate manner.  It will also call on food-related businesses and JA cooperatives to observe moral standards in their activities and improve production methods.  MAFF will also be taking an active approach to food education in schools and at the community level.
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 Revised Staple Food Law Represents Major Turnaround in Rice Policy

 A revised version of the Law for the Stabilization of Supply, Demand and Price of Staple Food (Staple Food Law) became law on June 27.  The revised legislation will be promulgated on July 4 and come into effect on April 1, 2004.  It translates the Framework for Rice Policy Reforms decided in December 2002 into law, and will bring radical change to production adjustment and rice distribution systems, which are to give substantially greater emphasis to the consumer and the market.  However, there are widespread fears, among producers, of a fall in the price of rice, and major tasks for the future include strengthening measures to stabilize supply and demand and rice farming business concerns, such as ensuring that production adjustments have the desired effect, and securing the necessary budgets.

 The provisions of the Revised Staple Food Law center on ensuring greater reflection of market mechanisms in rice production adjustment and distribution, with a view to encouraging the production of “rice that will sell”, i.e. rice that meets consumer needs.

 As of FY 2008, the government is to cease allocating production adjustments and farmers and farmers’ organizations are to take the major responsibility for adjustments.  Farmers’ organizations and rice collecting entities are to take the lead in drawing up a “production adjustment policy” incorporating numerical production targets, for which the government will establish an approval procedure.  Central and local government bodies are to provide support, guidance and advice on adjusting production.

 Visions for local paddy-field farming, setting out measures for the promotion of local agriculture, are to be formulated at the municipal level.  These visions are to include targets for the planting and sale of crops, measures to promote the concentration of agricultural land use in the hands of motivated and able farmers, and the use of subsidies.

 On the distribution front, the current “government-planned distribution system” is to be abolished.  The voluntarily marketed rice price formation centers will be renamed as “rice price formation centers”, the aim being to convert them from organizations for the formation of a reference price to “forums for a wide range of transactions”.  These moves represent a significant liberalization of rice distribution.

 To promote the rice policy reforms, MAFF will undertake a radical review of subsidies, following the legislative revisions.  In future, grants for the conversion of farmland use from rice to other crops will be paid on a lump-sum basis to each production area under the title of “production area development grants”, and the detailed use of these grants will be decided at the local level.  MAFF will also introduce measures to soften the impact of a fall in the price of rice, and “farming business stabilization measures for core farmers”.  It will also establish a new short-term finance system in respect of the portion of surplus rice resulting from bumper harvests.
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 MAFF Publishes New Standards on Cattle Suspected of BSE Infection

 On June 25, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) finalized new domestic standards on cattle to be culled on suspicion of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) infection and notified prefectural governments and other bodies.  Until now, 80% of animals kept in the same location as infected cattle have been culled, but under the new standards, the ratio will be reduced to around 20%.

 Also on June 25, MAFF announced the lifting of its call for voluntary restriction of the movement of cattle fed meat-and-bone meal, allowing such animals and their products to be shipped.

 In line with the revision of the OIE (Office International des Epizooties, the world organization for animal health) standards, Japan’s new standards exclude from suspicion of BSE any cattle brought to the same location as BSE infected cattle only after the age of 12 months.

 The domestic standards are set out in MAFF’s BSE testing manual, which has also been revised.

 Among other provisions, the new standards require the culling of (i) cattle that have, at any time before reaching the age of 12 months, been kept in the same location as infected cattle aged 12 months or less and (ii) cattle born from infected cows less than two years before the infected animal developed BSE.
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 Minister Presses US for Compromise in WTO Agricultural Trade Negotiations

 Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoshiyuki Kamei, currently visiting the United States, and US Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick met for talks on July 11.  According to a report received by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on July 12, Mr. Kamei pressed the United States for concessions in the WTO agricultural trade negotiations, telling Mr. Zoellick that the negotiating ball was in the United States’ court and urging that the United States reconsider what Japan sees as an over-ambitious position.  Mr. Zoellick countered by expressing the hope that Japan would make concessions, suggesting that it might show cooperation in the areas of export subsidies and domestic support, and the talks failed to achieve any rapprochement.

 During the talks, Mr. Kamei emphasized that Japan has been actively pursuing the reform of agricultural administration ever since the Uruguay Round of the multilateral trade negotiations and explained that further reform depended on Japan’s position on the WTO agricultural trade negotiations being accepted, stressing the fairness of the approach to tariff reduction advocated by Japan, which assures "flexibility among commodities".

 Mr. Kamei also stressed out the lowness of Japan’s food self-sufficiency ratio and the importance of the multi-functionality of agriculture, and told the USTR that Japanese consumers are keen that domestic agriculture should be developed and maintained, criticizing the US proposal for substantial, uniform reduction of tariffs on the grounds that it could destroy Japan’s agricultural sector.

 Mr. Zoellick urged Japan to show leadership in the preparations for the WTO ministerial meeting to be held at Cancún (Mexico) in September.  He also urged Japan not to activate special safeguard measures raising the tariff on beef in response to the rapid growth of beef imports.

Mr. Kamei countered that Japan had voluntarily reduced the tariff imposed under the safeguard measures to 38.5%, which is below the level agreed at the Uruguay Round (50%), and that it would not be appropriate to revise this level.
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Asian Farmers’ Group Statement Positions Rice as Essential for Assurance of Food Security

 Representatives of Asian farmers’ organizations met in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 10 and 11, for a symposium on the WTO agricultural trade negotiations.  According to a report received by JA Zenchu on July 11, farmers’ organizations from seven member countries of the “Asian Farmers’ Group for Cooperation” (India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Sri Lanka) met for talks after the symposium and issued a joint statement that describes rice and paddy-field farming as keys to achieving food security in the Asian monsoon region.

 Farmers’ representatives from the seven countries agreed to press for the adoption of genuinely fair and equitable agricultural trade rules that will allow the coexistence and prosperity of a wide variety of agriculture.  The statement stresses the importance of rice and paddy-field farming which, in addition to being the most important crop and form of agriculture in the Asian region, help to assure political, economic and social stability.

 Among other matters, the statement calls for (i) the sustainable development of paddy-field farming to help conserve land and water resources, (ii) the promotion of an environmental conservation-oriented model of farming based on collaboration with the livestock farming sector, (iii) the establishment of a rice reserve system for the Asian region that is able to cope with food crises triggered by natural disasters, and (iv) for trade rules to make allowance for the coexistence of rice farming in all countries in a global market that includes both net importers and net exporters of rice.  The delegates agreed to continue to lobby the WTO and national governments on these issues.

 The symposium was attended by 35 delegates from 13 countries.  After a memorial address given by former Philippines agriculture minister Leonardo Montemayor, the delegates discussed a variety of issues including rice and rice farming in Asian countries and the importance of agricultural multi-functionality.
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 Japan Voices Concern as US Considers Lifting Ban on Imports of Canadian Beef

 Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoshiyuki Kamei, currently visiting the United States, and US Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman met for talks in Washington DC on July 10.  According to a report received by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) on July 11, Ms. Veneman informed the Minister that the United States is giving serious consideration to the possibility of lifting the ban on imports of beef from Canada, which have been suspended following an outbreak of BSE (bovine spongiformencephalopathy) in that country, starting with those products that present the lowest risk.  Mr. Kamei expressed Japan’s grave concern that such a move would increase the risk of Canadian beef being imported to Japan via the United States.

 During the meeting, Ms. Veneman explained that the United States and Canada are working together to evaluate the risks in a scientific manner, conforming to OIE (Office International des Epizooties, the world organization for animal health) standards.  Ms. Veneman said she appreciated the concerns of Japanese consumers, but said the important thing was to evaluate the risks in a scientific manner.  With a view to gaining Japan’s approval for restarting imports from Canada, she also proposed talks between the United States and Japan, involving experts from both countries.

 Mr. Kamei replied that the views of the consumer should be put first, and that securing food safety and peace of mind should be the prime concern.  He urged the United States to ensure thorough testing at the time of export and certification of country of origin on test certificates.

 Ms. Veneman also urged Japan not to activate special safeguard measures to raise the tariff on beef in response to the rapid growth of beef imports.  Mr. Kamei answered that the legislation on these safeguard measures had been enacted by the Japanese Diet and that MAFF had no say in their implementation.
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 Indonesia and Japan Agree to Cooperate in Combating Illegal Logging

 On June 24, the governments of Indonesia and Japan agreed to cooperate in combating illegal logging in Indonesia.  Among other matters, the two countries will work together to establish a system for verifying the legality of timber and wood products imported to Japan from Indonesia.

 Japan has called for greater control of illegal logging at international summits such as the G8 meetings, on the grounds that it hinders sustainable forest management in all countries.   Indonesia and Japan have been preparing concrete measures since the autumn of 2002, when they initially agreed to cooperate on the problem of illegal logging.

 Two documents were signed on June 24, a “Joint Announcement” that sets out the objectives of and philosophy behind the agreement to cooperate, signed by Indonesian Minister of Forestry Muhammad Prakosa, Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Yoshiyuki Kamei, and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi, and an “Action Plan” signed by Dr. Prakosa and Mr. Kamei.  The signing of the agreement was attended by Indonesian President, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

 To help drive illegal logging out of Indonesia, the two countries will cooperate in establishing systems to allow verification of the legality of logging at the logging site, and to prevent domestic and foreign trade in illegally logged timber.
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 Average Life Expectancy Reaches New High of 78.32 for Men, 85.23 for Women

 The Abridged Life Tables for 2002, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) on July 31 reveal that average life expectancy in Japan has reached a historic high of 78.32 years for men and 85.23 years for women.  This is the first time that life expectancy for women has topped 85 years.  The increase in life expectancy for women was particularly large, widening the gap between men and women by 0.05 years as compared with 2001, to 6.91 years.

 Average Life Expectancy in Japan　

 Life expectancy has increased for both men and women for three consecutive years (2000-2002).  Life expectancy for women in Japan has been the world’s highest since 1985.  Life expectancy for men is also currently the highest in the world, exceeding Iceland's 78.1 years (average for 2000-2001).

 The Abridged Life Tables show how many more years a person of a specified age can expect to live, assuming no change in death rates, and average life expectancy is the number of years of life remaining to a child at birth.

 According to MHLW, the year-on-year increase in average life expectancy in 2002 was 0.30 years for women and 0.25 years for men.  An MHLW official commented, “One reason [for the increases] is that advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cerebrovascular disease in the elderly have reduced death rates.”

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 Food Price Gap Narrows Between Tokyo and European Cities, Widens Between Tokyo and NY

 On June 30, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) published the results of a survey comparing the retail prices of food in Tokyo and five other major cities around the world (New York, London, Paris, Geneva and Singapore), in November 2002.  A rise in the price of vegetables in Japan widened the price gap between Tokyo and New York, but the movement of exchange rates narrowed the gap between Tokyo and the European cities of London and Paris.

 The survey compares the price in each city of a total of 42 items, including 29 common items such as bread, meat and vegetables, and 13 characteristically Japanese items such as rice, miso [soy bean paste], soy sauce and tofu [bean curd].  The 2002 survey included Singapore for the first time.

 Taking the prices of the 29 common items in Tokyo as 100, the price index was 89 in New York (down from 95 in 2001), 77 in London (up from 75 in 2001), 79 in Paris (up from 74 in 2001), 108 in Geneva (up from 105 in 2001), and 66 in Singapore.  The weakening of the yen against the euro caused the gap between Tokyo and London and Paris to narrow, while prices in Geneva rose still further.

 For the 42 items including Japanese foods, the price index was 99 in New York (down from 103 in 2001, 116 in London (up from 103 in 2001), 111 in Paris (up from 96 in 2001), 137 in Geneva (up from 125 in 2001), and 98 in Singapore.  The survey shows that the cost of a Japanese dietary lifestyle, including rice and miso, was higher in both European cities than in Tokyo.

 Likewise taking Tokyo prices as 100, the price index for hamburgers, which were not included in the 2002 survey, was 189 in New York, 200 in London and 165 in Paris, making hamburgers exceptionally cheap in Tokyo.
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 Fisheries Agency to Extend Requirements for Processed Food Labeling to Show Country of Origin of Raw Materials

 The Fisheries Agency is to significantly extend the range of processed foods  (fish, etc.) whose labeling it requires to show the country of origin of raw materials used in preparing the food.  Until now, the requirements have been limited to katsuo no kezuribushi [shavings of cured skipjack tuna], but it will now be extended to niboshi [boiled and dried] and tsukemono [salted or pickled] seafood among other items.  The move is a response to consumer demands to be told the country of origin of raw materials, as an aid to verifying the safety of foods.

 The Fisheries Agency’s Fishery Products Labeling Study Group recently published an interim report recommending that the requirements for labeling to show country of origin of raw materials be extended to nine seafood categories including niboshi and tsukemono products.  Rather than being limited to specific fishery products such as katsuo [skipjack] or wakame [a type of seaweed], the report suggests that the requirements should include the names of processed fishery products.  The scope of the requirements would not only cover a larger range of methods of preparation, but would also be highly likely to cover a wider range of species of fish.

 The Fisheries Agency plans to confirm the products to be covered by the requirements after discussion by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries-Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Joint Council on Food Labeling.  At present, the labeling requirements on processed fishery products cover six items, including eel products, katsuo no kezuribushi, and salted mackerel.
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 New JAS Standard to Assure Traceability of Products Not Covered by Beef Traceability Law

 On June 22, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) revealed that it plans to establish a new JAS standard with a view to assuring the traceability of imported beef and beef product, which are not covered by the new Beef Traceability Law [traceability:  systems allowing the production and distribution history of a product to be traced].  Domestically produced beef will also be covered by the new standard, and in addition to the items of which the Beef Traceability Law requires disclosure, use of the JAS mark will be conditional on disclosure of information relating to feeds and use of pharmaceuticals.

 The (Proposed) JAS Standard on “Production Information Disclosed Beef”

Domestic beef　　　　　　　　　　　　　Imported beef

 A spokesman for the MAFF Quality Division explained that the aim is to enhance consumer confidence in beef through the disclosure of information on the use of feeds and pharmaceuticals, matters in which consumers express considerable interest.

 The new JAS standard is one of the special JAS standards guaranteeing a specific method of production, such as that of free-range chickens or organic farming products.  Use of the new JAS mark is conditional on the disclosure of production information, specifically [the animal’s] (i) date of birth, (ii) sex, and (iii) breed, (iv) the name & address of owner, (v) the location where the animal was fattened and date fattening commenced, (vi) the date the animal was slaughtered, (vii) the names of feeds used, and (viii) the names of animal pharmaceuticals administered.  If these requirements are met, the beef will be certified as joho kohyo gyuniku [“production information disclosed beef”].

 The labels on certified beef and beef products will bear the words joho kohyo gyuniku after the product name, and will be required to display contact details, such as a website address or fax number, via which consumers can request production information.  Labels on imported beef and beef products will also bear unique ID numbers and symbols.

 The new JAS standard is to be published in October, once approved by the General Meeting of the Research Committee for the Japanese Standard of Agricultural and Forestry Products (JAS), to be held in September.  An interim period of 12 months or so is to be allowed, and beef bearing the new JAS mark is likely to come onto the market in 2004.  MAFF is considering the establishment of similar systems for pork and pork products, and plans to unveil a new JAS mark common to all products.

 However, certification under JAS standards is purely voluntary.  Certification is not compulsory in any way.  Just how many importers will go to the cost and trouble of identifying imported beef and disclosing its production history is uncertain.  Nevertheless, the fact that consumers demand the disclosure of this information means that the requirements for disclosure of production history should apply equally to domestically produced and imported beef.
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Food Safety Commission Must be Managed in a Resolute Manner

 The government has established a Food Safety Commission.  In the wake of a series of “incidents” — the Snow Brand food poisoning scandal, the outbreak of BSE (bovine spongiformencephalopathy) in this country, the problem of residual agricultural chemicals in imported vegetables, etc. — consumer demand for “food safety and peace of mind” has intensified at a rapid rate.  As an independent body, the Commission should strive to satisfy the expectations of the people of Japan.  If it falters, or betrays public confidence in food safety, it could be the cause of significant social unease.  It must be managed in a resolute manner.

 The drive to assure food safety is a worldwide phenomenon.  Organizations similar to the Food Safety Commission have been established in the European Union and elsewhere.  A representative example is the European Food Safety Authority.  The fact that, today, we must rely on independent authorities of this kind to assure food safety in a fair and scientific manner is evidence of the widespread, complex and severe nature of the threats to food safety.  The volume of international trade in food and the materials used to produce it has grown, and the problems are not confined by national borders.  In this age of mass production and wide-area distribution, there is every reason to fear the impact that a food accident in one small area will have far-reaching consequences.  The establishment of the Food Safety Commission as an independent safety evaluation authority answers the needs of the age.

 In the past, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) were responsible for both aspects of food safety administration — safety/risk evaluation and risk management — in their respective fields.  This presented a risk that evaluations would be less-than-objective.  One consequence was the mishandling of the BSE crisis that led to MAFF being criticized for “grave errors of administration”.  The new Commission is part of the Cabinet Office and as such independent of both ministries.  Its mission is to evaluate biological, chemical and physical risks presented by foods, in an objective and scientific manner, with the object of safeguarding the life and health of the people of Japan.  On the basis of its evaluations, it will advise the two ministries on matters relating to risk management, and check that food safety administration is properly implemented.  To this end, it will serve as a center for the compilation and classification of risk information from both within Japan and overseas, and, if a serious food safety incident arises, will play a central role in managing information and drafting risk control measures for the government.

 The Commission is made up of seven commissioners, four full-time and three part-time, who have been selected for their expertise in fields such as toxicology, microbiology, organic chemistry, and sanitary science, which will serve as the basis for evaluating the effect of foods on health and deciding what action should be taken in the event of a crisis.  There were calls for consumers to be represented on the Commission, but the idea was turned down on the grounds that “the Commission is not a forum for settling conflicts of interest between sectors”.  Producers and consumers will be represented on the specialist research committees reporting to the Commission on various issues, and their opinions should be given due consideration.  Ensuring transparency will be of overriding importance if the Commission’s decisions are to win the confidence of the public.  It must listen with sincerity to the opinions of producers, consumers and food-related businesses.

 There is considerable interest in all the issues relating to food safety that have emerged in recent years and months, including the BSE outbreak, the problems of residual agricultural chemicals and food additives in imported foods, and the use of genetic modification and somatic cell cloning technology, and the Commission’s work will surely be a focus of public attention.  The Japanese public is showing a particular interest in the safety of imported foods, and the Commission should focus on ensuring thoroughness of “water’s edge” inspections.  The Commission will have to address a great variety of issues in order to fulfill its primary mission of safeguarding the health of the nation.

 (from an editorial in the July 1, 2003 issue of the Nihon Nogyo Shimbun)
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