TOKYO, Jan. 6 — Japan’s Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has pledged to implement policies that will bring on-the-ground delivery of an agricultural transformation as his country faces a declining population.
During the ministry’s New Year gathering on Jan. 5, Saito cited government’s estimates that the overall population decline in 2017 exceeded more than 400,000 for the first time since records began.
“The pace of decline will accelerate and that means domestic food demand will shrink further,” Saito said. “The farming sector is at a crossroads: develop policies to bring transformation or be at the mercy of forces beyond our control.”
Saito also noted that the government officials are lacking a sense of urgency.
“You need to take risks and change behavior to pursue a better outcome. You need to come up with a vision to transform the entire sector,” he said.