Japan, EU Agree to Strengthen Food Security; Work Together for G7 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting in September

The Yomiuri Shimbun
European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, right, shakes hands with Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto in Brussels on Thursday.

BRUSSELS — Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto held talks in Brussels on Thursday with European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski in preparation for the Group of Seven Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting to be held in Italy in September. They agreed to work toward improving agricultural productivity and strengthening food security.

At the G7 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting held in Miyazaki Prefecture last year, the ministers agreed to work together to improve sustainable agricultural productivity growth in an environmentally friendly manner and to ensure a stable supply of food.

Sakamoto spoke to the press after the meeting and said, “We will stand together and continue to follow the agreements made at the Miyazaki meeting.”

During the meeting, Wojciechowski noted that food security is a global issue, and said that Japan is a very important partner for the EU which he hopes will continue working together.