cuj-jr-145 (pdf) Japan Resources No 145 We are in the middle of a very busy fall campaign season here at CUJ’s office in Nishi-Waseda, Tokyo, as the leaves are turning dark orange and red. We are pleased to announce our latest issue of Japan Resources, with articles from our trip to Australia, the World Foodless Day event, and CUJ’s response to the rice scandal here in Japan. – Editors CONTENTS: No-GMO: Message from Namiko Ono No- GMO: Speech by Michiyo Koketsu World Foodless Day in Tokyo Stop Aerial Spraying of Banana Plantations! Rice Scandal International Conference on Consumer Policy No-GMO: Californian Rice No-GMO: Australian Dairy Cattle Hokkaido G8 Summit Declaration
World Foodless Day in Tokyo
Rising food prices, food contamination, reduced food production induced by climate change — food insecurity is spreading all over the world. Japan is suffering from low food self-sufficiency (barely 40% on calorie basis), a string of food safety scandals and frauds. The occasion of World Food Day on October 16 organised by the FAO is an opportune time to send a strong message of food sovereignty and highlight consumers’ strategies to address the food crisis. How can consumers cope with this crisis? Several NGOs will organise a forum, Another World Food Day, in Tokyo to discuss a wide range of current food problems and solutions. The forum titled “Sky-rocketing food prices…
Rice Scandal: Protest Declaration and Questions
080919-cuj-rice-contamination (pdf) September 16, 2008 To: Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Mr. Masuzoe Yoichi Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Mr. Seiichi Ota From: Food Safety Citizens’ Watch Kamiyama Michiko (Representative) Consumers Union of Japan Tomiyama Yoko (Chairperson) Protest Declaration and Questions “We demand rapid clarification about the current situation, where the government is responsible for not being able to regulate the circulation of the contaminated rice” Over 3000 metric tones of contaminated rice, most of it Minimum Access (MA) rice, was imported to Japan and resold to food manufacturers. It has been widely used as raw material for food products and even as food rice. This is an illegal…
Join the World Foodless Day events in Tokyo!
We invite you to join the World Foodless Day, an alternative to the UN World Food Day, in defense of people’s food sovereignty, the right to food for all, and land to landless farmers. NGOs in Japan will organise events in Asakusa, old downtown in Tokyo. Go to PAN AP’s website for detailed international information.
International Conference on Consumer Policy
Consumers Union of Japan participated in the International Conference on Consumer Policy, held in Tokyo on September 9, 2008. The theme was “The Future of Consumer Policy for a Globalized Society” and over 200 people attended. We were glad to hear Consumer International’s president Samuel Ochieng speak about consumer rights. He also noted the importance of consumer representation in national, regional and international consumer policy forums. Action Points: A regional/international consumer policy must – be credible, high common level of consumer protection – Be effectively enforced at the national level – effectively engage consumer organisations – integrate consumer interests in other policies – Empower consumers At the very end of the conference, Prime Minister…