Japan Trade, Agriculture Ministries to Cooperate for Export Aid

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese trade and agriculture ministries said Friday that they will establish a new cooperation framework aimed at bolstering support to expand exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery and food products. The government has set a target of increasing exports of such products to 5 trillion yen in 2030 from 1.7 trillion yen in 2025. The two ministries aim to efficiently utilize their policies to support exporters. At a kickoff meeting Friday, trade minister Ryosei Akazawa said he wants to “go beyond simply providing information and give full-fledged support to businesses to ensure that their goods are actually exported.” Agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki expressed his eagerness to cooperate especially in the field of processed foods, saying, “I hope this will lead to the further strengthening of efforts to boost added value.” As part of the framework, a new web portal will be opened for business operators interested in exporting goods. Registered firms will receive information related to subsidies, business negotiations and market development. The ministries will also work with the Japan External Trade Organization to help expand sales channels for exported goods, such as local supermarkets. In addition, they plan to enhance support related to online commerce for first-time exporters. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]