Vol. 21 No. 3 November 2003

Domestic
FY 2004 MAFF Budget Request is 13.2% Up on FY 2003
Worst Rice Harvest in 10 Years, Especially in Areas on Pacific Ocean Side
Food Self-Sufficiency Target to be Raised Under Review of Basic Plan for Food,
Agriculture and Rural Areas
MHLW to Ban Sale and Use of Beef on the Bone from BSE-Affected Countries

International
WTO Ministerial Conference Ends in Rift; Agreement on Agriculture Delayed
Agriculture Minister’s Comments on WTO Ministerial Conference at Cancun
Japan and Mexico at Stalemate Over Items to be Excluded from FTA
Japan Declines to Lift Import Ban on Canadian Beef
Japan Lifts Ban on Imports of Chicken Meat from China; Ban on Duck Imports Remains in Place

Topics
Population Aged 65 or Over Reaches Record High of 24.31 Million

Environment, Science and Technology
Hay Fever-Relieving GM Rice Could be Commercially Grown from FY 2007
Three Research Centers to Analyze Functions of Base Sequences of Rice Genome

Food Marketing and Distribution
JA Zenchu to Offer Access to Production History of All Agricultural Products
by End of 2006
Sales Contracts for 2003 Government Rice Set to Reach 400,000 Tons

"Green Tourism": the Need for a Higher Grade of "Exchange"