Welcome Statements

JIRCAS International Symposium Proceedings
Full text

Thank you for the introduction. My name is Fujimoto, Research Councilor at MAFF. I would
like to say a few words at this opening of the TARC-JIRCAS 40th Anniversary International
Symposium. JIRCAS used to be TARC - Tropical Agricultural Research Center. And today, this
marks its 40th Anniversary, so I would like to congratulate JIRCAS and also to pay my tribute to all
those people who contributed to JIRCAS. I am sure that this was possible due to the effort of the
president and all employees of JIRCAS and also to the participants today and all the other people who
had something to do with JIRCAS. JIRCAS has been a testing and research institution for the
agricultural and forestry and fisheries research in developing countries. And it has been a focal point
of CGIAR and the base in our country for international agricultural research. It has collaborated with
other overseas research institutions and international organizations in order to solve the world food
and environmental issues and it has made good contribution.
The ministry has set Japan's Basic Plan on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas in March, and it
states that Japan must contribute to world food security through technical co-operation and also
contribute to the enviromental issues through active research and technological incorporation. And at
our ministry, the Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries Basic Plan states that we must conduct technological
innovation development in order to solve the global environmental issues, to eradicate poverty and
hunger. So this shows that in order to carry out the basic responsibility of a state, which is to secure
stable food supply into the future, it is extremely important to conduct international research and
technical cooperation.
Last month, UNFPA announced its white paper on global population. And it says that the
population in 2010 was 6.987 billion and by 2011, it will breach 7 billion. So there is an increasing
demand toward agricultural products due to the increase in demand for bio-fuel due to economic
development. And also, there is an effect from global climate change and the food supply is being
constrained. So structural factors of tight food demand and supply are causing the food price increases
and other problems related to food supply in countries around the world.
So, I came late to this situation. Last month in Niigata, the APEC Food Security Ministerial
Meeting was held and 21 member countries of APEC and regional and international organizations
participated in this meeting and it discussed securing world food security by increasing the food
supply. In the ministerial declaration, it said that in order to feed the growing population, it is
indispensable to enhance productivity and to put focus on research and development. It likewise said
that in order to increase investment and research and cooperation in the area of greenhouse gas effect,
it is important to cooperate through the voluntary networks, since they showed expectations towards
research and development.
We must solve these issues by gathering all research efforts throughout Japan and abroad. Today
and tomorrow, we will be holding this symposium. And there will be a keynote speech from a
member of Parliament, Mr. Shiraishi, on the building up of Japan's research and development capacity
and international cooperation. In Session One, there will a theme of international agriculture, forestry,
fisheries research network. Session Two, development-oriented agriculture research institutes. And in
Session Three, this involves the commissioned project of our ministry which is the International
Research Network project, and the theme is networking for Malaysia by Japanese agricultural research
bodies. So, we must bring together all the research efforts in Japan and abroad in this area. We must
base our research on new activities surrounding international agriculture and forestry research. And I
think it is very significant that we exchange frank opinions and share the recognition towards further
research in this area.Lastly, but not least, it is important to solidify our cooperation in Japan and abroad to solve these
global issues. And the role of JIRCAS is very important. So I will close my remarks by wishing for
further development of the collective researches of today's participants and JIRCAS. I hope these two
days will be very meaningful for you. Thank you.

Date of issued
Creator Kiyoshi Fujimoto
Publisher Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
Available Online
Issue 2010
spage 11
epage 12
Rights Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
Language eng

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