Japan

Israeli food tech Aleph Farms has announced a new agreement with the food industry arm of Japanese corporate giant Mitsubishi to bring cultivated meat to Japan. Under the newly formed partnership, the Israeli cell-based meat maker will…
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Renowned chef Shimamura Masaharu of Michelin-starred Osaka restaurant Unkaku has launched DiverseFarm, a partner venture with Tokyo-based cellular agriculture company TissueByNet. The startup will bring together Masaharu’s culinary…
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After developing the world’s first sticky quinoa designed specifically for the sushi industry, Canadian firm Top Tier Foods has now created a plant-based wagyu, which is slated to launch in Japan by the end of this year. While the verdict…
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Earlier this month, the Global Grad Show kicked off in Dubai for the sixth year to showcase 100 graduate projects from around the world that are designed to bring solutions to some of the biggest environmental and socio-economic issues,…
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San Francisco-based vegan dog food brand V-planet has announced that its 100% plant-based kibble products are now available in Japan for the first time. Partnering with Wholefoods, Inc., a Kyoto-based distributor of plant-based foods,…
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There’s no doubt that Japan’s vegan scene is heating up, with the emergence of plant-based kombinis and big names like Muji and Mos Burger introducing new all-vegan options. But until now, there hasn’t been a vegan version of yakiniku, a…
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Japanese retail chain Muji has announced that it is releasing four new plant-based meat alternatives across its online and brick-and-mortar stores this month. The news comes amid the rising demand for plant-based foods among mainstream…
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Shin-Etsu Chemical, one of the world's largest suppliers of plastics and chip-making materials and the biggest chemical company in Japan, has just made its first entry into the plant-based meat supply chain. It has developed a new binding…
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Japanese food tech IntegriCulture Inc. has been awarded a ¥240 million (US$2.2 million) grant from the government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to build its commercial cellular agriculture facility. Constructing its commercial…
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While the plant-based trend seems to have experienced a slower uptick in Japan, it looks like it’s now hitting the country in a major way. From vegan bakeries serving up dairy-free Japanese-style milk buns to 100% plant-based burger joints…
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Japanese homeware retailer Muji is introducing a furniture subscription service as working from home becomes the new normal after months of the coronavirus pandemic. Launching this Friday (July 17), consumers in Japan will be able to rent…
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Great Lakes Tokyo, a burger restaurant in Tokyo, has recently revamped into a 100% vegan restaurant amid the coronavirus pandemic. For restaurant owner John Penny, the decision was made after realising how the animal industry contributed…
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Governments are beginning to take concrete action against plastic pollution. From Germany to Japan, new legislation is clamping down on single-use plastics as economies begin to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, which has shifted…
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Cultivated and other alternative proteins will soon have rules drawn up by Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry. The announcement comes as food security concerns continue to loom large amid the coronavirus pandemic, on top…
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Between September and March every year, fishermen in the Japan's small coastal town of Taiji go on a gruesome hunt for dolphins. Famously depicted in the documentary film The Cove, the so-called Taiji dolphin hunters lure pods of dolphins…
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Japanese food tech Daiz announced this month that it has raised ¥650 million (US$6 million) in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by Japanese state-backed fund A-Five and tech venture capital firm Mitsubishi UFJ Capital. Daiz…
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Japanese food tech IntegriCulture Inc. has just completed its Series A funding with ¥800 million (US$7.4 million). The round was led by Beyond Next Ventures, NH Foods and AgFunder, and marks the largest Series A raised by the cultivated…
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In a new wellness-focused travel guide, author and avid traveler Iris Law with local publisher Man Mo Media takes readers on a journey into Japan’s most beautiful and eco-friendly onsen ryokan accommodations. Titled The Onsen Experience: A…
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By: Roku Goda Cherry blossoms have long been loved by Japanese and celebrated in poetry as harbingers of spring. In the early Heian Period (794-1185), Ariwara no Narihira penned a piece about how people became very excited every spring…
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MOS Burger has become the first homegrown fast food chain in Japan to debut a 100% plant-based burger. Dubbed the Green Burger, Mos Burger developed the vegan dish in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to…
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Japan has recently published its plans to tackle greenhouse gas emissions under their Paris Agreement commitments ahead of the United Nations climate talks this year, but it has been attacked by environmentalists who criticise the…
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