New Cold-Storage Technology Helps Farmers Avoid ‘Bumper Crop Poverty’

SAGA, Jan 18 (News On Japan) - A logistics company based in Tosu, Saga Prefecture, a key transport hub in Kyushu, has developed a massive high-performance refrigerated warehouse in-house, using advanced technology to extend the freshness of vegetables and fruit and help farmers avoid the income squeeze known as “bumper crop poverty.”

Fukuoka Sonoriku says its system removes ethylene gas, a major cause of deterioration in produce, allowing cabbage to stay fresh for around 50 days and muscat grapes for as long as four months.

By storing crops until market prices recover, the company aims to prevent farmers from being forced to sell at a loss during periods of oversupply, helping stabilize earnings even when harvests are strong.

Leveraging its long-term storage capability, the firm has also secured fixed-rate transactions with major distribution companies, expanding beyond a traditional logistics role and evolving into a supplier with trading-house functions.

The company says sales have grown 2.5 times over the past eight years, and it plans to expand nationwide through mergers and acquisitions, positioning itself as a future “Amazon of agricultural products.”

Source: Television OSAKA NEWS

Six Students Taken to Hospital After Eating Overly Salty Pizza

Six junior high school students were taken to hospital after falling ill from eating pizza made during a home economics class in Kitakyushu last month, with officials suspecting the cause to be an excessive amount of salt added to the dough.

Osaka Fraud Losses Top 33.9 Billion Yen as Police-Impersonation Scams Surge

Losses from special fraud and SNS-based investment and romance scams in Osaka Prefecture over the past year exceeded 33.9 billion yen, marking a record high.

Japan Supplies Generators to Ukraine

A ceremony was held in Kyiv on February 11th where the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) presented generators to Ukraine as the country grapples with worsening electricity shortages following Russian attacks on energy facilities, with citizens struggling to endure severe winter conditions and international assistance for power infrastructure continuing to grow.

Water Supply Disruptions Continue in Hakone

A renewed water outage struck Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture after supplies briefly resumed on February 11th morning, with authorities reinstating water restrictions from 9 p.m. as frozen pipes and low reservoir levels linked to an intense cold wave continued to disrupt supply across the region.

Japan’s Oldest Man Dies at 111

Kiyotaka Mizuno, the oldest man in Japan and the oldest resident in Shizuoka Prefecture, died of natural causes at his home in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, on February 8th at the age of 111, according to local authorities.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Business NEWS

PayPay Teams Up With Visa to Break Into the U.S.

PayPay, Japan’s leading QR-code payment service, has announced a partnership with Visa, the world’s largest credit card network, as it looks to expand into the United States, where QR payments remain far less common and tap-to-pay dominates everyday transactions.

Sony’s Bold Move to Sell TV Business

Sony is considering spinning off its television business, long symbolized by its BRAVIA brand, in a move that could mark a decisive step away from consumer electronics and toward a new identity centered on entertainment and intellectual property.

Self-Made Puffy Stickers Drive Unexpected Glue Shortages

A popular household adhesive known as “Bond” is disappearing from store shelves across Japan, with the shortage linked to a continuing boom in a trendy type of sticker that has become especially popular among younger consumers.

Mazda Posts First Net Loss in Five Years

Mazda said on February 10th that it fell into a net loss of 14.7 billion yen for the nine months from April to December 2025, marking its first deficit in five years, as U.S. tariff policies under the Trump administration weighed heavily on earnings.

Japan’s Government Debt Hits Record 1,342 Trillion Yen at End of 2025

Japan’s outstanding government debt totaled 1,342.172 trillion yen as of December 2025, marking a record high, the Finance Ministry announced.

How to Organize Effective Work From Home: 11 Practical Tips for High Productivity

Working from home is no longer an exception for a select group of professionals. Flexible schedules, coffee anytime, and online meetings in pajamas don't disrupt the workflow. On the contrary, they positively impact productivity.

Tokyo Drives Small New Home Prices Above 60 Million Yen

The average asking price for newly built small detached homes in January rose 4.7 percent from the previous month to 61.54 million yen across the Tokyo metropolitan region’s four prefectures, according to a real estate research firm, marking a new high since surveys began in April 2014 and pushing prices above 60 million yen for the first time.

KDDI Subsidiaries Under Investigation for Fictitious Transactions

KDDI has delayed the release of its financial results as it investigates suspected improper transactions at its subsidiaries, announcing that BIGLOBE and G-Plan may have recorded fictitious sales totaling up to approximately 246 billion yen and that about 33 billion yen may have been diverted outside the companies.

< 2 3 4 5 >