TOKYO, Aug. 10 — Japan’s food self-sufficiency dropped for the first time in six years to the second lowest level, due to steadily declining consumption of rice, the country’s stable food, as well as poor harvest in northern Japan after heavy rains. The calorie-based rate of food self-sufficiency in 2016 fell to 37.58 percent, the agriculture ministry said Aug. 09. The country’s lowest figure was 37 percent in 1993, after the unusually cold and rainy summer had damaged the rice crop, and forced Tokyo to make a move often considered taboo – importing foreign rice – at that time. The food self-sufficiency rate shows how much a country can satisfy … Continue reading →

Japan’s food self-sufficiency in calorie terms dropped for the first time in six years due in part to agricultural output dipping significantly after unfavorable weather conditions. This is, however, not the whole story. The Japanese government has sought to open its agricultural market for growth, yet it has remained negligent when it comes to food security. The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has, since the beginning of 2013, sought trade liberalization via a series of free trade agreements: Japan-Australia economic partnership agreement (EPA); the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP); and most recently the Japan-EU EPA. Those agreements were reached on increased market access for foreign farm products in Japan, in exchange … Continue reading →