On January 27, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the National Institutes of Biotechnology Malaysia (NIBM) signed the Record of Discussions for the FY2025 technical cooperation project titled “Enhancing Biomass Utilization for Sustainable Management of Oil Palm Plantation and Promoting Circular Economy by Utilizing Applied Biotechnology Methods.” This marks the official launch of a new international cooperation initiative in Malaysia aimed at transforming untapped resources into food.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published a policy brief titled “Developing and promoting sustainable agricultural production and natural resources management technologies: Lessons from the FAO–JIRCAS collaboration” regarding its collaboration with the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS). This policy brief introduces recent research achievements by JIRCAS across its programs in environment, food, and information, and systematically summarizes the partnership with FAO.

On Wednesday, February 4, 2026, the “Wednesday Night Science Café,” organized by the Tsukuba Science Tour Office, was held at the event space co-en in front of Tsukuba Station. This café is a science communication event designed to make science feel more accessible to the public. It is jointly planned by research and educational institutions in Tsukuba City and has been held every Wednesday evening from December 3, 2025, to March 4, 2026.

From January 28 to 30, 2026 (Wednesday through Friday), the 20th Renewable Energy World Exhibition & Forum (RE2026) was held at Tokyo Big Sight. JIRCAS introduced its latest research findings related to biomass utilization. 

Kaset Fair 2026, an agricultural exhibition, is being held at Kasetsart University in Thailand from January 30 to February 7, 2026. Kaset Fair, Thailand's largest agricultural and food trade fair, is hosted annually by Kasetsart University. During the event, the university campus hosts a wide variety of exhibits, from research highlights related to the agriculture and food industry to sales of agricultural and food products, attracting many visitors.

On February 4, JIRCAS and the JICA Tsukuba Center of the Japan International Cooperation Agency will jointly present a session at the “Wednesday Night Science Café.” The theme of this session is:
“Rice Cultivation × On-the-Ground Challenges in Asia and Africa — Connecting Technology and Human Resources through Communication, Application, and Collaboration.”

On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the SAT Technology Showcase 2026, organized by the Science Academy of Tsukuba (SAT), was held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center. Two researchers from JIRCAS participated and presented their research findings.

The JIRCAS Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF, locally known as “Nekken”) successfully held the 56th TARF Public Lecture, titled “Understanding the Relationship Between the Environment and Nitrogen,” on Friday, January 23, 2026, at the Audio-Visual Room on the 2nd floor of the Ishigaki City Health and Welfare Center.

Dr. ISEKI Kohtaro, Senior Researcher in the Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division, received the Best Research Award at the “International Symposium on Tropical Root & Tuber Crops for Nutrition, Agri-food Systems, Resilience, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability,” held in Thiruvananthapuram, India, from November 17 to 21, 2025.

From November 13 to 15, 2025, JIRCAS participated in various events at COP30 (held in Belém, Brazil) and introduced its research and collaborative activities. 

The Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF; locally known as “Nekken”) of JIRCAS successfully held the 55th TARF Public Lecture for Citizens, titled “Plant Breeding Using African Rice,” on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, from 19:00 to 20:30 at the Audiovisual Room on the 2nd floor of the Ishigaki City Health and Welfare Center.

At the 5th Thailand International Symposium on Natural History Museums (TISNHM 2025), held at the National Science Museum of Thailand in Pathum Thani (near Bangkok) from November 27 to 29, 2025, Researcher SAITO Minoru from the Fisheries Division received the Best Oral Presentation Award. The event was organized to share knowledge and techniques related to natural history research and museum exhibitions and brought together researchers, museum professionals, and students from nine countries, mainly in Southeast Asia.

 

On Thursday, December 11, 2025, the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) welcomed 19 first-year students from Kumamoto Prefectural Uto High School for the 26th session of the Future Science Talent Academy. 

On December 9, 2025, at the 50th Anniversary Ceremony of the Faculty of Agriculture of the National University of Laos (NUOL) held in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, JIRCAS Senior Researcher MARUI Junichiro was presented with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Minister of Education and Sports of Laos by the President of NUOL. The award recognized his long-standing achievements in international collaborative research in the field of fermented foods.

On Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) welcomed 39 first-year students from Fukushima Prefectural Soma Agricultural High School for the 25th session of the Future Science Talent Academy.