Japan farm reform lacks details, shake-up unlikely

Japanese farmers and their supporters hold placards and chant slogans against an anti-Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal at a rally in front of the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on April 22, 2014 - AFP Photo.

TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will announce steps aimed at weakening Japan's powerful farming cooperative as part of a reform package on Tuesday, but the plan has been watered down after lobbying and lacks details.

Critics say the diluted measures mean the government is losing an opportunity to revive the country's moribund farming sector, suggesting a long called for shake-up of Japanese agriculture remains a distant prospect.