Japan Press Weekly

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2019 January 16 - 22 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Official of UN agency on agriculture for first time speaks at Nouminren convention

The Japan Family Farmers Movement (Nouminren) on January 17 ended its 23rd Regular Convention which was held in Tokyo for three days after adopting a new action program focusing on building a stronger Nouminren to protect family farming in Japan. The Convention also elected a new leadership.

In this year’s Convention, on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the head of the FAO Liaison Office in Japan, Mbuli Charles Boliko, delivered a speech. This is the first time that Nouminren received an FAO executive at its annual convention.

On the first day of the Convention, the UN official spoke along with other guest speakers, including National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) President Odagawa Yoshikazu and New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin) President Kasai Kimiyo.

Boliko referred to the launch of the UN Decade of Family Farming (2019-2028) this year and stressed that assistance to family farmers is essential to achieve poverty and hunger reduction. The FAO is ready to cooperate in promoting efforts to achieve this, he added.

On the following day, Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Yamashita Yoshiki delivered a speech as a guest.

Yamashita extended his congratulations to Nouminren on its 30th anniversary. He said, “I’d like to express my respect to Nouminren for working hard at the grassroots level to foster solidarity and collaboration between farmers and consumers with the aim of protecting Japan’s agriculture and ensuring the continued availability of safe food.”

Yamashita went on to say, “As shown by the UN Decade of Family Farming (2019-2028) starting this year, the role of family farming in agriculture has been gaining international recognition. In Japan, however, the Abe government has been implementing agricultural policies which deliver a devastating blow to family farmers. This totally goes against the world current.”

The JCP vice chair stressed that the Abe government’s anti-people policies, such as the increase in the consumption tax rate to 10% and the move for constitutional revision, have deepened the contradictions with public demands. He said that aiming to replace the Abe administration, which is extremely subservient to the U.S. and favorable to large corporations and business circles, the JCP will make its utmost effort to achieve a major JCP advance in the Upper House election slated for July.

The new Nouminren leadership is led by re-elected President Sasawatari Yosio and Secretary General Yosikawa Toshiaki.

Past related article:
> UNGA adopts declaration on peasants’ rights [December 19, 2018]