Smart Agriculture Plans Certified Under Promotion Law
Overview
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries certified two new development and supply implementation plans under the Act on the Promotion of the Use of Smart Agricultural Technologies to Improve Agricultural Productivity, and approved a change to Kubota Corporation’s previously certified plan. The new plans cover an automated airflow pollination system for greenhouse strawberries and a paddy-field weeding device for organic rice cultivation. The technologies are expected to help increase added value and reduce labor hours.
Key points
- Two new development and supply implementation plans were certified.
- A change to Kubota Corporation’s previously certified plan was approved.
- The certified technologies were assessed as helping reduce labor hours for tasks that require manual work.
Overview
The Act on the Promotion of the Use of Smart Agricultural Technologies to Improve Agricultural Productivity (Act No. 63 of 2024; hereinafter, the “Smart Agriculture Technology Promotion Act”) establishes a system under which the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries certifies plans for developing smart agricultural technologies that are particularly needed in agriculture and disseminating their results.
Certified businesses can receive support measures, including financial and tax assistance.
Impact
The development and supply of the newly certified technologies are expected to promote the use of smart agricultural technologies and improve agricultural productivity.
Details
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reviewed two new plans submitted by REACT Inc. and Hatakehotoke Co., Ltd. under Article 13, Paragraph 4 of the Smart Agriculture Technology Promotion Act and certified them as meeting the requirements. It also reviewed an application under Article 14, Paragraph 1 to change Kubota Corporation’s plan, certified in May 2025, and approved the change as meeting the requirements of Article 13, Paragraph 4, as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 14, Paragraph 6.
REACT Inc.’s plan covers the development and supply of an automated airflow pollination system for greenhouse strawberry cultivation. The system autonomously travels within greenhouses and maintains airflow direction and speed suited to pollination. It aims to stabilize fruit production and improve quality through pollination-appropriate airflow, and is considered to support increased added value as a labor-saving technology for tasks such as leaf and fruit thinning in the cultivation management of greenhouse vegetables and flowers.
Hatakehotoke Co., Ltd.’s plan covers the development and supply of a device for organic paddy rice cultivation that uses the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System “Michibiki” for high-precision automated operation. The device moves autonomously through paddy fields, stirring the soil surface with weeding brushes to remove weeds. It is considered to reduce labor hours as a technology that saves labor in paddy-field weeding.