NARO aims to strengthen partnerships and collaborations with international organisations to promote various research initiatives in agriculture, food and the environment. As part of this effort, the International Relations Office is assigned to consolidate various global initiatives such as fostering international partnerships for collaborations, exchange of researchers and other programs, organise symposiums and workshops, and exploring opportunities to promote Japanese agricultural products in the world market.
NARO is actively developing international partnerships with overseas research institutes in the Asian region and European countries, and research institutes under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) through the conclusion of memorandum of understanding (MOU) on comprehensive research cooperation. NARO holds symposiums, seminars and workshops with major collaborating institutes to promote interactions among researchers and to encourage substantial discussions on major issues facing the research initiatives on agriculture, food and the environment. The International Peer Review Program is organized to facilitate external evaluation on the quality and direction of specific NARO research programs.
On May 27, 2025, Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Ludmila Catlabuga from the Republic of Moldova graciously visited NARO, accompanied by: Mr. Maxim Popov, Executive Director of Agency for Development and Modernization of Agriculture; Mr. Dumitru Socolan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Moldova to Japan; and Mrs. Corina Prigorschi, Counsellor of Embassy of the Republic of Moldova to Japan.
On April 21 and 22, 2025, Dr. Coughlin, Past President of IEEE, visited the Kyushu-Okinawa Agricultural Research Center (KARC) of NARO and gave a lecture on smart agriculture to an audience including external participants. NARO and IEEE will continue to collaborate on the development and dissemination of smart agriculture.
NARO agreed to establish the International Associated Laboratory (IAL) to promote international collaborative research with National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), France. The IAL's main goal is to build robust and efficient agricultural systems based on robotics.
