An inauguration ceremony to mark the opening of the research facilities developed by the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) Madagascar Project was held in Antanarivo, Madagascar on May 10, 2019.

The G20 Agriculture Ministers' Meeting was convened on May 11-12, 2019 in Niigata, Japan as one of the ministerial meetings alongside the G20 Osaka Summit (June 28-29). As Chairman of the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (G20 MACS), JIRCAS President Dr. Masa Iwanaga participated in this meeting and reported the key outcomes of the G20 MACS held in Tokyo (April 25-26).

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Japan, Mr. Rachad Bouhlal, paid a courtesy visit to JIRCAS President, Dr. Masa Iwanaga, on May 13, 2019. Pres. Iwanaga introduced JIRCAS’ research programs and projects and exchanged opinions with Ambassador Bouhlal on the areas of potential research collaboration.

The 8th Meeting of G20 Chief Agricultural Scientists (G20 MACS) chaired by JIRCAS President, Dr. Masa Iwanaga, was convened on April 25-26, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. The two-day meeting focused on discussions on two major issues, namely, transboundary plant pests and facilitating on-site adoption of climate-smart technologies. Various research initiatives on management and control of transboundary plant pests at JIRCAS were presented by Program Director, Dr. Kazuo Nakashima.

The Indonesian Agricultural Research and Development Agency (IAARD) and JIRCAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to extend the implementation of joint research based on the agreement signed in 2007.

The JIRCAS Open House Day was held on April 19-20, 2019 in conjunction with the Science and Technology Week.

JIRCAS ranks 8th in “Plant Science and Zoology” category of highly cited papers

The JIRCAS Research Highlight 2018 is a compilation of selected R&D achievements for the entire fiscal year promoting the dissemination and wide application of results to academic and non-academic audiences.

A member of the Parliament and former Health Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, Mr. Gagan Tapa visited JIRCAS on March 7, 2019.

A policy suggestion workshop, titled “Suggestions for mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice cultivation in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The workshop was handled by an expert from the Mekong River Commission based in Lao PDR and four researchers from JIRCAS. The workshop was successfully concluded by handing over the policy suggestion paper from Dr. Satoshi Tobita, program director at JIRCAS, to Mr. Cao Vinh Thong, head of the Plant Protection Department under DARD.