On February 16-17 the above conference was held at the Kyoto International Conference Hall. 700 people attended the working sessions, while 1,100 attended the main conference session, and as a summing up of the past thirteen years it was in all ways a fruitful conference. I am most grateful to all those who worked hard to make it possible. The basic theme of the conference has been "Seeking a Life that Learns from Nature," with a subtitle this time of "Leaving a Clean Planet for Our Children and Grandchildren."

It goes without saying that if EM™ becomes as natural a part of daily life as the air and water, in other words if we practice an EM™ based lifestyle in all aspects of life, then we will inevitably "Leave a Clean Planet for our Children and Grandchildren."

In 1995 when this conference first was held it centered on the effects of EM™, and technical aspects of how to make the most of a little EM™. After this, as use of Activated EM•1® and fermented EM•1® solutions became more widespread, the ecological notion of using EM™ until it worked came to the fore, which has led to the development of variety of EM™ activities and applications.

Therefore during the first few years the conference mainly focused on the agricultural field, but with the environmental working sessions beginning in 1998, and the gardening working sessions in 2001, we have seen more presentations on results of EM™ application throughout society, and the conference has been held in large international conference halls in Yokohama, Tokyo, and Kyoto, all of them filled to capacity. In between conferences, EM™ activities have been gaining steady results throughout Japan, and petition drives to make EM™ part of national public policy have made authorities increasingly cognizant of EM™.

These petition drives went a great way toward helping make the Organic Agriculture Promotion Act in the Diet a reality, an Act chiefly promoted by Mr. Tsurunen Marutei, a member of the House of Councilors. With the passage of this law in December of 2006, EM™ has officially been recognized as part of the national family, so to speak. The Organic Farming Promotion Act obliges the country, prefectures, and cities and towns to promote organic agriculture, not only taking budgetary steps to do so, but by collecting cutting-edge data on organic farming and training producers.

Up until now whenever people sought the help of local governments in disseminating information about the achievements of organic farming or the optimal form of Nature Farming that uses EM™, they were either shown the door or things were entirely up to the discretion of the person in charge; if there was a change in the person in charge of this in local administrations then promoters of EM™ found themselves in the vexing situation of being back to square one.

Not only does the passage of the Organic Farming Promotion Act resolve this dilemma, but the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has made a basic plan, and has earmarked funds, to create Organic Farming model towns. This plan calls for formulation and implementation of concrete policies to promote organic agriculture starting at the prefectural level within a few years, and then within 5-6 years reaching the level of cities and towns. At the panel discussion at this year’s Conference, Mr. Hideaki Fukuda, chief of the Environmental Conservation Agriculture Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries participated, and the fact that he spoke here on practical methods to promote organic agriculture and its significance was a groundbreaking event, one that will connect up with an innovative evolution in Japanese agriculture.

As you can see from the above, this year’s conference achieved some historic goals. The need from now on is to further establish and expand Nature Farming and EM Technology™ throughout the world, as well as thoroughly implement it in all aspects of society. In order to further these goals, starting next year the agricultural and environmental gardening sessions of the conference will be held in different venues. This summer the agricultural session will meet at the Nature Farming Experimental Farm in Nagano, while the environmental/gardening sections will meet in the central (Chubu) region of Japan. (Note: Details of the meetings have yet to be announced.)

The circumstances surrounding Japanese agriculture have changed drastically in recent years. First of all, the worldwide increase in production of bio-fuels made from sugarcane and corn have a direct link with a growing food crisis. As a result, Japan is being forced to increase its degree of self-sufficiency. I have been emphasizing this point for several years, but the reality has far outstripped what I predicted. In one sense this is a divine wind for Japanese agriculture, one not based, as in the past, on outside pressure.

A second point to note is that the recent concerns about the safety of food products manufactured in China has led to a higher regard for Japanese agricultural products, which is becoming a real boost for Nature Farming and organic farming products. Further, Japanese agricultural products are becoming more popular in Hong Kong as well as other foreign countries, and as other countries become more affluent the export business in the products of Japanese Nature Farming and organic farming may develop greatly.

Under these circumstances and with the passage of the Organic Farming Promotion Act, and with concrete steps now being taken to implement its basic plans, one can envision the future of Japanese Nature Farming. In this view of the future, manufacturers must uphold the safety of foods products; the bottom line is that, while increasing the functionality of food, they must proactively promote people’s health and a clean environment, preserve nature, and must establish the kind of agriculture that helps our natural resources, including marine products, remain abundant.

Presentations made at the agricultural sessions at the conference reveal that we are getting close to this desirable state, and if the essentials of EM Technology™—that of producing safe, pleasant, low cost, high quality products, in a sustainable way—are promoted even further, it will become obvious to everyone that agriculture is, in a very real sense, the foundation for the whole country.

Until now this rejuvenation of agriculture was nothing but a pipe dream, but under the Organic Farming Promotion Act if producers get serious about this, the structure is in place compelling the government to proactively support their activities. Sustainable Nature Farming, which has become technically advanced through its use of EM™, together with the promotion of these legal developments, will not only lead Japan to be a great exporting nation but will be a great boost to Japan becoming a world leader in health, tourism, and the environment. I am convinced it will lead to a genuine civilization and culture originating in Japan that will show the world the way future societies should be.

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