A Bangalow-based company which is now the largest exporter of hemp foods in the southern hemisphere is wondering when its products will finally be recognised as food in Australia.

Hemp Foods Australia chief executive Paul Benhaim recently met with the First Lady of Japan Akie Abe at a hemp forum in Kyoto and discovered that she was a great supporter of the industry.

However, while Japan is importing huge amounts of hemp from Hemp Foods Australia, the products are still not recognised as food in Australias due to legislation against the consumption of hemp.

Speaking from personal experience, from the stage of the Kyoto Hemp Forum, Japan’s first lady, Akie Abe proclaimed her support for reviving hemp use in Japan particularly for medicinal purposes.

Ms. Abe was appearing to raise awareness for hemp culturization in Japan, and support for hemp’s many uses, pointing to studies showing its success in treating epilepsy, diabetes and pain.

Ms. Abe then further showed her support for hemp products by purchasing Elixinol CBD hemp oil, the “healthy not high” alternative, for her husband, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.

Around 10,000 years ago prehistoric humans began using cannabis, a new research study has found, and not just in one small corner of the globe.

Japan prides itself on having a low tolerance for guns and drugs, but a tiny political party has become the first to adopt an election plank of scrapping a research ban on medical use of marijuana.

Proponents say such use could ease cancer-related pain, prevent dementia, and cut soaring medical costs. But the government says its effectiveness has not been proved, and worries about the social harm weaker controls could bring.

Japan outlaws owning and growing marijuana, besides the ban on clinical research, despite a trend in advanced countries, such as Canada and the United States, to free up medical use. 

One afternoon earlier this month, Masamitsu Yamamoto showed up at the Tokyo District Court to attend a session of his criminal trial for an alleged violation of the Cannabis Control Law.

The 58-year-old resident of Kanagawa Prefecture, however, does not fit the typical profile of a drug case defendant.

The former restaurant chef has advanced liver cancer and was arrested on suspicion of drug possession last December. He said he had never run into trouble with the law before then, and maintains he used cannabis as a medicine of last resort after exhausting all other options and failing in his attempts to get access to legal cannabis treatment.

“I want to be saved, that’s all,” Yamamoto, dressed in a light blue suit, said after the hearing.

The L.A.-based creator of the "Trump For World President" video tells us those who get the joke are the ones he made it for, and those who don't are even more amusing.

TOKYO—Japan loves Donald Trump—so much it wants to hug and kiss him—at least that’s the impression you might get from the Japan Supports Donald Trump For World President 2016 Banzai! video that has now been seen over 14 million times on Facebook and 3 million times on YouTube. 

It’s a masterpiece that looks as if it were created by Japan’s best advertising agency Dentsu (the one embroiled in a scandal over bribery and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics), but it’s actually a parody: a hilarious riff on Trump’s campaign and Japanese advertising. 

Is cannabis the next Internet? That's the bold claim made by Tokyo Smoke CEO Alan Gertner. 

The former head of an Asia-Pacific-wide sales team at Google saw his life change after a Ghanian tour guide told him, “You either work on something you love, or work because it supports the people you love.”

After hearing this, Gertner quit Google. His former philosophy - “Work hard, get promoted, make more money.” - left him unfulfilled.

It's nearly that time of year. The annual occasion that brings together 16,000 laboratory scientists from industry, academia and government to discuss the latest trends in laboratory science. We're talking about Pittcon of course, the world’s largest annual premier conference and exposition on laboratory science. Pittcon never fails to deliver quality information and education that is used by the industry year-round. Let's see what some of the 2016 trends are:

One year ago, I was 30 years old, leading a $100-million-plus business as head of an Asia-Pacific-wide sales team for Google, and making more money than I ever imagined. I had lived in New York, San Francisco, Bangkok and Singapore, and travelled to over 50 countries. All this because six years before, I landed my dream job at Google in corporate strategy.

I found myself on a secondment in Ghana developing national Internet infrastructure. On my way to a voodoo ceremony with a Ghanian tour guide, I reflected on my career path, admitting to him that I’d lost focus and felt unfulfilled. What he told me changed the course of my life: “You either work on something you love, or work because it supports the people you love.”

That’s when I quit Google.

TOKYO — If you’ve got such a powerful sweet tooth that you worship chocolate, these might be just the treats for you.

Being located in Kyoto, Japan’s center of traditional culture, you might imagine chocolate specialist Cacao Magic’s offerings to have an elegant air to them. You’d be right, too, as the confectioner’s sweets are designed to be a treat for the eyes as well as the palate.

You may also expect Cacao Magic to produce some uniquely Japanese chocolates, and again you’d be right. While most of its candies take the orthodox forms of hearts, squares, and discs, you’ll also find something called the “amasumi butsuda” in the product lineup. “Butsuda” means “head of the Buddha,” and that’s exactly what they look like, as you can see in the photo above.