The company now sees consolidated net sales down from a predicted ¥1,040 billion to ¥1,022.8 billion and operating income down to ¥28 billion from a forecast ¥30 billion.

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The economy in good shape

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Japan imported 40,394 tonnes swt of beef during March, 8% higher than last year and 2% above the five-year March average (data by the Ministry of Finance, Japan).

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Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) requested all municipal Governments to review their current BSE testing protocols, following its decision to change the inspection age of domestic cattle to older than 48 months.

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Japanese retailers reported improved food sales during March, with the warmer spring weather stimulating demand for take away meals and livestock products.

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“The WFO is committed to the pursuit of ambitious trade policy objectives and the reinforcement of the global agricultural trading system so that we can operate in a fair, transparent and predictable trading environment,” the policy noted.

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US BEEF exporters are aiming to regain the 33 per cent market share they had in Japan a decade ago.

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The National Pork Producers Council praised the Obama administration for agreeing to accept Japan into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations.

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With Japan’s spring holiday season (Golden Week – 29 April to 6 May) just around the corner, beef market sentiments would traditionally lift up in preparation.

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McDonald’s Corp. (MCD)’s Japan business will raise some prices by much as 25 percent next month, the fast food chain’s first increase on burgers in the country since 2008.

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Just two weeks after Prime Minister Abe announced that Japan would participate in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) discussions, Japan and the EU have agreed to launch talks for an economic partnership, starting as early as this month (April).

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A coalition of food and agricultural organisations and companies urged the United States and other countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to quickly welcome Japan into the trade talks.

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The devaluation of the Japanese yen negatively impacted Japan’s beef imports in February, totalling only 30,724 tonnes swt – down 23% year-on-year and the lowest monthly volume since January 2010.

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The Ministry of Finance of Japan has extended the special measure for the calculation of imported beef trigger levels (known as the safeguard) for chilled shipments during the Japanese fiscal year 2013 (JFY, April 2013 to March 2014).

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Three leading gyudon (beef rice bowl) businesses are to launch another discount promotion in April, aiming to improve the sluggish performance in recent months.

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The National Pork Producers Council welcomed Japan’s request to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and urged the United States and other TPP countries to swiftly accept the Asian nation into the regional trade talks.

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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may sacrifice barriers protecting Japan’s beef and wheat farmers as he joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, said a former government adviser on farm policy.

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Leading Japanese retailer Ito-Yokado became the first supermarket in Japan to stock US beef under the recently revised age limit rule, conducting a special promotion at a limited number of stores.

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Total sales for the Japanese foodservice sector during January declined 2.2% year-on-year, as heavy snow and lower temperature nationwide reduced customer numbers (data by the Japan Foodservice Association).

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The past week saw three beef and trade related developments in Japan that may have implications for Australia’s beef exports in the future.

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A Japanese team has announced success in growing pancreases in pigs genetically modified to be unable to grow their own.

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Japan increased wheat prices to flour millers by almost 10 percent, raising costs for companies including Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. (2002) and Nippon Flour Mills Co. (2001) as a weaker yen made grain imports more expensive.

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WELLESLEY — Those who know Susumu “Sus” Ito, 93, know that he is a Nisei (second-generation Japanese-American), a Congressional Gold Medal recipient from World War II’s legendary all-Japanese-American 442d Regimental Combat Team, an emeritus professor at Harvard Medical School, a furniture maker, photographer, dad, and grandfather.

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A team of scientists led by Hiromitsu Nakauchi and Hiroshi Nagashima, professors in stem cell studies at the University of Tokyo and in developmental engineering at Meiji University, respectively, were able to grow a pancreas in a pig that has no ability to grow its own organ.

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Leading retailer Ito-Yokado became the first supermarket in Japan to stock US beef under the recently revised rule, conducting a special promotion at limited stores on 16 and 17 February.

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Taking the next step to support Japanese poultry processors

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Japanese meat processor Iotham has seen a rise in net income over the first nine months of the financial year despite a drop of nearly ¥8 billion in sales.

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A wildlife conservation group said in a report recently that Japan has been propping up its whaling industry with nearly $400 million in tax money in recent years, stepping up subsidies even as consumption of whale meat in the country has slumped.

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Japan’s decision to allow beef and beef products from cattle less than 30 months of age was met with enthusiasm by the US beef industry.

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Japan imported 514,186 tonnes swt of beef during 2012, down 0.6%, or 3,045 tonnes less from the previous year, as the uncertain market conditions, including the US age protocols negatively impacted December imports (data released by Japan’s Ministry of Finance).

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Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) announced on 28 January that it will alter its beef import protocols from 1 February, allowing US beef sourced from cattle less than 31 months of age to enter the country for the first time since December 2003.

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The United States and Japan have agreed on new terms which pave the way for expanded exports of US beef to Japan, it has been announced.

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Japan will ease restrictions on U.S. beef imports next month, boosting supplies to restaurant chains such as Yoshinoya Holdings Co. (9861), after food safety authorities said the change wouldn’t increase health risks.

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Several Japanese media outlets have reported on the possibility of Japan adopting revised import protocols on the US beef from February.

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An alarming new report estimates that between 30 and 50 percent of all the food produced in the world is lost and wasted.

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At a place known for mass production, Fremont Beef Company has entered a niche market so rare that most Americans will never taste it.

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Several Japanese media outlets have reported on the possibility of Japan adopting revised import protocols on the US beef from February.

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The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry says it will ease restrictions on U.S. beef imports on Feb. 1 to allow meat from cattle aged 30 months or younger, up from the current age limit of 20 months.

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Japan could ease restrictions on imports of U.S. beef as early as Feb. 1, according to several media reports out of that country that quote its top health ministry official.

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Imported beef consumption in Japan during November 2012 eased 5% year-on-year, to 43,136 tonnes (boneless equivalent), with total inventories also reducing to 90,487 tonnes, almost 6,000 tonnes lower compared to the peak level during September (supply and demand data by Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation in Japan).

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Tokyo-based Itochu Corporation has acquired a 33.4 percent stake in HyLife Group Holdings Ltd., based in La Broquerie, Manitoba -- one of Canada's leading integrated pork companies.

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The beef market in Japan started 2013 with traditionally high sales of Japanese Wagyu at retail, albeit with many in the trade anticipating local production during 2013 to ease, largely due to slow demand and weak prices.

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The pizza chain’s stores in Japan sell a large pizza with Kobe beef, a delicacy in the country, for 5,800 yen (about US$66).

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Major business lobbies in Japan on Monday backed the efforts of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to revive the faltering economy and urged him to commit to a Pacific-wide free trade deal.

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This drop is attributed to the reduced intake of frozen Australian meat, Meat and Livestock Australia have reported.

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The government decided to expand the country-of-origin labeling rules to include more agricultural and fishery products sold at restaurants as part of efforts to enhance the right of consumers to choose the food they eat, officials said.

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The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won back the majority of seats in Lower house elections in Japan last week, with the new Prime Minister – the seventh in seven years – expected to be formally appointed on 26 December.

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Meat: It's something that people around the world take for granted but maybe not for much longer.

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Japan on Thursday exported to the United States its first-ever shipment of Kobe beef, according to media reports.

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A press release from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) stated that it has suspended imports of beef products from Brazil, following the recent announcement of a positive BSE test.

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A press release from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) stated that it has suspended imports of beef products from Brazil, following the recent announcement of a positive BSE test.

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Japan has stopped importing beef from Brazil after the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) discovered a protein believed to cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a cow.

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McDonald’s is making significant strategic changes in Japan where the chain has seen a shift in consumer preference toward at-home dining.

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Eight million copy circulation Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported recently that Japanese consumers appeared to have become less interested in BSE issues as positive cases across the world had declined, but deep-rooted concerns remained about the ability of the US to guarantee delivery of safe beef.

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Japan consumed 79,595 tonnes (boneless equivalent) of beef during October, up 4% year-on-year and the highest monthly volume since December 2011 (based on supply and demand data by the Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation of Japan).

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Japan imported 47,020 tonnes swt of beef during October, with a decline in volumes from Australia (down 2% year-on-year to 28,403 tonnes swt) largely offset by an increase from the US (up 19% to 12,064 tonnes swt).

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A possible change in Japanese import policy concerning beef has the potential to create more income for Idaho beef producers, officials in Idaho said.

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Tight supplies from both Australia and the US kept imported frozen beef prices firm in the Japanese wholesale market during November, while demand from end-users remained relatively slow.

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The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will approve an ¥880 billion emergency plan Friday to boost the stagnant economy, forging the second extra spending package in two months, officials said Tuesday.

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Japan on Thursday stopped importing beef from a U.S. meat plant after American authorities failed to confirm that beef from the plant without proper documents met Japan's safety requirements on the U.S. origin, the health and farm ministries said.

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