On June 21, 2026, Sakata Seed Corporation (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan; President: Tsutomu Kagami; hereinafter “Sakata”) inaugurated the Ishigaki Research Station in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. By conducting research on flowers and vegetables on Ishigaki Island, which has a subtropical oceanic climate, Sakata will accelerate the development of weather tolerant varieties.
Sakata recognizes increasingly severe climate conditions, such as high temperatures and heavy rainfall, as a global challenge for agriculture and has been focusing on the development of weather tolerant varieties. In addition to its sites in Japan, Sakata has been developing such varieties at research stations in India and Thailand, both located in tropical regions. With the inauguration of the Ishigaki Research Station, Sakata will be able to evaluate varietal characteristics under harsher environmental conditions than at its other sites in Japan and also accelerate breeding cycles.
The main crops to be researched at the Ishigaki Research Station include vegetables such as tomato, squash, and okra, as well as flowers such as sunflower.
The Ishigaki Research Station will also conduct breeding for tropical regions. Tropical regions are defined as the areas between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Although these regions face severe climatic and environmental conditions, including heat and heavy rainfall, their populations are projected to grow by 2050*, and Sakata has been focusing on initiatives for tropical markets. Located in subtropical Japan, the Ishigaki Research Station is positioned as a key base for breeding for tropical regions, and Sakata will further accelerate these efforts going forward.
-
*
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Population Prospects 2024