Strong ties in agriculture between Japan and Iowa trace back to 1960 and the “Iowa Hog Lift” — a rescue effort following severe typhoon damage in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture.

Back then, two typhoons devastated much of Yamanashi’s agricultural sector, prompting Iowa leaders to send hogs to Japan to help revive the industry. Iowa farmers donated 35 hogs delivered by cargo plane, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

This act of generosity not only helped revitalize Japan’s hog industry but also established Iowa and Yamanashi as the first sister states. Japan has since reciprocated, gifting Iowa a “Bell of Friendship,” displayed at the capitol building in Des Moines, and providing financial assistance during the 1993 floods.

“Japan matters for America, and America matters for Japan,” a panel of experts said at the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue during the World Food Prize in Des Moines. 

The discussion centered on the vital, 64-year-long relationship between the two regions.

The panel was hosted by the East-West Center in Washington, an organization that promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the U.S., Asia and the Pacific through cooperative study, re­search and dialogue.

Zoe Weaver-Lee, a programs coordinator at the East-West Center, moderated the discussion with Amy Namur, a program manager at the center; Laura Greiner, an associate professor in animal science at Iowa State University; Grant Kimberley, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board and senior director of market development at the Iowa Soybean Association; and Rebecca Ahrendsen, market development manager at the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

Panelists emphasized the sig­­nificance of the Iowa-Japan relationship, which has resulted in billions of dollars in exports, thousands of jobs and shared educational opportunities. The U.S. relationship with Japan is also seen as essential to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

“This relationship brings to­­gether two regions, both rich with agricultural traditions and a shared commitment to agricultural innovation and sustainability,” said Namur.

Added Kimberley, “Japan and the U.S. have more similar goals and ideals, market-based economies …, fair trading-based systems. Japan is an anchor of Asia. It’s important to maintain that structure around the world.”

By the numbers

Data from the East-West Center illustrates the depth of Iowa’s connection with Japan. Iowa exported $1.6 billion in goods to Japan in 2023, including food products, agricultural goods, insurance services, chemicals and electronics.

Iowa jobs supported by exports to Japan number 15,490. Iowa also maintains 10 sister-state relationships with Japan.

“We export a large amount of product to Japan … That’s providing jobs, taxes for (Iowa) schools and roads,” said Greiner. “When we think about the pork industry as a whole, 27% of our product is exported, and Japan is one of our primary countries where we export high-quality product to.”

Kimberley noted Japan’s importance as a sophisticated market for soy products — the fifth largest importer of soybeans and soybean products worldwide and a key market for U.S. soy producers.

“Japan understands the value U.S. soybean bring through its consistency, high quality and reliability,” Kimberley said.

Ahrendsen highlighted the cultural pride both Iowa and Japan invest in their agricultural production.

“In Iowa, we take pride in our farming families, our farming communities,” she said. “When we’ve had farmers go over to Japan, they talk about how beautiful, how friendly, how high quality everything is. That pride coincides from country to country. It’s something we share culturally.”

Looking to the future, panelists expressed interest in expanding agricultural relations with Japan. Opportunities include bridging the gap with biofuels and promoting the benefits of ethanol. Collaborative efforts on climate-smart practices and technology-sharing are also promising areas.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for advancement,” said Greiner. “There’s a farm over there that uses robots to gather tomatoes,” which helps during labor shortages. “You don’t have to use people all the time.”

Sharing such technological ad­­vancements is an important step toward advancing partnerships into the future, she said.