Strengthening function as an international hub for providing strategic information on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and mobilizing new research partnerships
From November 26 to 28, 2025 (Wednesday–Friday), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries hosted the Agribusiness Creation Fair 2025 at Tokyo Big Sight, West Hall 3.
On Monday, October 27, 2025, the Awarding Ceremony of the 2025 (19th) Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers (also known as the Japan Award), hosted by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the JIRCAS International Symposium 2025, titled "Accelerating Application of Agricultural Technologies in the Asia-Monsoon Region," were held in a hybrid format at Hitotsubashi Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
We are pleased to announce that the archive videos of both events are now available on the YouTube "JIRCAS Channel."
World Soil Day 2025, with the theme "Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities," focuses on urban landscapes. Meanwhile, sound management of the world's land, soil, and water will continue to be necessary to ensure stable food supply for urban and rural populations. A recent report (SOLAW 2025) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlights the significant potential of land and water resources to support sustained increases in food production.
The JICA-JISNAS symposium is held to discuss and exchange opinions on specific themes in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, as well as regional development, with the aim of encouraging the active and independent participation of young talent and promoting capacity development. This year's symposium will be held in a hybrid format on December 12, and will focus on the theme of "Challenges and Prospects for Developing Global Agricultural Research Human Resources - Focusing on Science and Technology Cooperation Volunteers."
Iron is an essential element for plants, but in many parts of Southeast Asia and Africa, there is an excess supply of iron, which has a negative impact on the growth of plants, especially rice. This article introduces research aimed at elucidating the mechanism behind this "iron toxicity" and discovering rice genes that are important for healthy rice growth even under such conditions.
Now that we can use more fertilizer, we no longer have to worry about food. But it's not all good. If too much fertilizer is added to fields, the reactive nitrogen that plants don't use can pollute rivers and the air, causing various environmental problems. This is becoming more common, so we need to take action quickly. We will introduce a study that investigates whether adding charcoal to soil can keep the nitrogen in fertilizer in the soil for longer, allowing nitrogen to be used without waste.
The ocean, Earth's life-support system, is experiencing rapid and widespread changes that extend to its deep layers due to multiple climate-related stressors, including warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and salinity fluctuations. A paper published in Nature Climate Change found that vast areas of the world's oceans are experiencing simultaneous warming, salinity changes (increase or freshening), oxygen depletion, and acidification, providing evidence that climate change is pushing the marine environment into uncharted territory.