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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