If you've ever wondered how farming spread far and wide, our research on past human societies offers one explanation: contact between different groups often drives change. In a recent paper, together ...

If you liked this story, share it with other people. A brilliant blue butterfly species has been declining in Japan as the grassland-mimicking agricultural landscapes its host plant relies on fade, ...

The Japanese government aims to convert at least 25% of all its farmland to organic by 2050, a significant jump from just 0.5% in 2020. Researchers found that urban and semi-urban farmers in Tokyo ...

New research into ancient Japanese rice farming suggests that significant technological development does not always mean ‘abandonment’ of cultural practices - particularly culinary traditions.

In 2024, Japan revised its Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas to prioritise food security amid global instability. Despite the amendment, Japanese agricultural policy continues to focus on ...