‘Green Wave’ action ends

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

‘Green Wave’ action ends

On December 9, as conclusion of the ‘Green Wave’ action, about 200 farmers and consumers from across the country assembled in front of the Agriculture Ministry building to appeal to the public to support food safety and financial support to farmers.

The “Green Wave” action is a national campaign held every autumn calling for protection of food safety and an increase in the nation’s self-sufficiency rate, and is organized by the National Campaign for the Defense of the People's Food and Health (Shokukenren) consisting of labor unions, agricultural and farmers' organizations, and women's groups.

At the rally, Shokukenren Secretary General Sakaguchi Masaaki reported that as of December 9, 92 municipal heads and 114 agricultural cooperative union presidents signed in support of a petition calling on the government to establish a price support system and an income support system.

The Shokukenren submitted the petition to the agriculture ministry and urged the ministry to increase the amount of stockpiled rice to 3 million tons as the Democratic Party of Japan promised in the August general election, to stop negotiations on the import liberalization of agricultural products, and to cut back on the amount of foreign rice imports.

Regarding the issue of reducing government subsidies for encouraging crop changeover under the planned individual (household) income support system to be implemented next April, a representative of a farmers’ organization said, “Those who decide to change their production from rice to other crops and who are engaged in community farming groups will suffer major damage from government subsidy reductions and will end up having to give up farming.”

- Akahata, December 10, 2009