Modern farm machinery facilitates China's autumn harvest

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reported recently that nearly 30 percent of autumn grain has been harvested nationwide, as a wide range of modern agricultural machinery has been rolled into the fields to ensure all grain and oil crops are brought safely to storage.

In the northeastern region, which accounts for 35 percent of China's total autumn grain output, large-scale harvesting is now underway. In Heilongjiang Province, 220 million mu (about 14.7 million hectares) of crops have grown better than last year, with corn, rice, and soybeans maturing three to five days earlier.

At a Beidahuang Group's farm, newly developed high-horsepower, high-capacity unmanned harvesters have significantly boosted efficiency. One such machine can harvest a 2,000-mu (about 133.33 hectares) cornfield within 48 hours.

In Bozhou City's Qiaocheng District, east China's Anhui Province, continuous rainfall has left some farmland too muddy for conventional harvesters. To solve the problem, local authorities have mobilized over 200 crawler-type harvesters from neighboring provinces to speed up collection.

"We coordinated 80 crawler-type harvesters to help farmers harvest their crops during breaks in the rainfall. At the same time, we also arranged for three drying facilities to dry the harvested corn to prevent mildew and ensure the safe storage of the crops," said Zhu Zhifu, director of the agricultural service center, Qiaocheng District.

In Gansu's Lujiagou Township, newly developed crawler-type potato harvesters designed for hilly terrain have gone into operation. These machines can dig, separate, and transfer potatoes at the same time, replacing labor-intensive manual work and greatly improving efficiency.

"Our cooperative grows over 2,000 mu (about 133.33 hectares) of potatoes. It used to take more than two months to finish the harvest. With these new harvesters, the process is much faster and more efficient," said Li Judong, head of a local farm machinery cooperative.

Meanwhile in Xinjiang's Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, nearly 1 million mu (about 66,666 hectares) of corn are being harvested. The region has deployed 261 grain-harvesting machines, now covering 65 percent of total corn acreage.

This autumn, around 30 million sets of agricultural machinery are expected to be in use across China, ensuring a smooth and timely harvest while paving the way for the upcoming autumn-winter planting season.

Modern farm machinery facilitates China's autumn harvest

Modern farm machinery facilitates China's autumn harvest

A Japanese lawmaker has raised concerns over Japan's push to expand its military and its nuclear policy.

Responding to some politicians' dangerous tendency towards possessing nuclear weapons, Takara Sachika, a member of Japan's House of Councilors, said that Japan's push to strengthen its military, combined with what she called a misguided nuclear policy, not only heightens regional tensions but also directly threatens regional security.

"I think this is completely unacceptable. Japan is a country that has suffered atomic bombings and is one of the nations most aware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons. Yet such a country is openly discussing the issue of possessing nuclear weapons and even attempting to revise the principle of not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons, one of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. This is an extremely serious problem," Takara said.

Takara said the Japanese government's tendency to expand its military capabilities is completely contrary to the Constitution.

"From the perspective of Japan's Constitution, Japan should never have adopted a policy of ensuring security by strengthening military capabilities. Yet today, enormous effort is being poured into military expansion, and that in itself is a serious problem," said the lawmaker.

At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that what she described as the Chinese central authorities' "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, and suggested the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, drawing strong criticism worldwide.

Takara urged Takaichi to retract her erroneous remarks as soon as possible.

"I think there is a very big problem with making such remarks that provoke other countries. It is necessary to thoroughly examine the facts as soon as possible and withdraw the relevant remarks," she said.

Japanese lawmaker criticizes nuclear weapons remarks as threat to regional security