The country that brought robots to car factories looks set to stay resolutely old-school in agriculture as it seeks to attract more foreign workers to replenish an aging workforce.
This month¡¯s vote by the Diet to open the door more widely to overseas laborers confirms that despite government support and millions of dollars of investment in high-tech agriculture by companies from Kubota Corp. to Panasonic Corp., robots won¡¯t be replacing farm workers anytime soon.
For Yasuji Kakuzaki, a 67-year-old tomato producer, it¡¯s a matter of cost.
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