White paper calls for steps to enhance food self-sufficiency

Tuesday 19th May, 10:37 AM JST

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14 Comments

SushiSake3 at 04:21 PM JST - 19th May

"White paper calls for steps to enhance food self-sufficiency"

More "urging" from JGov.

We are "urged" to have more children, "urged" to be mindful citizens, "urged" to take precautions against swine flu, "urged" to have a better work/life balance, "urged" to be more patriotic, "urged" to listen to JGov "urges," et el.

Lots of "urges," and very little else, like law changes.
timorborder at 04:24 PM JST - 19th May

This is an old chestnut. Another interpretation would be increase domestic product/reduce imports in order to pander to rural communities who hold a disproportionate amount of power considering the disequalibrium that exists in terms of voting power.
apecNetworks at 04:43 PM JST - 19th May

Expansion of the use of "rice flour" is a critical key. I may be able to implement the breakthrough, but I would have to be in Japan and I lack intimate knowledge of the farming environment.
DeepAir65 at 07:27 PM JST - 19th May

Just the farmers union ramping up for the election this year
Howardtheduck at 09:36 PM JST - 19th May

Just give it time, J-government. A declining population = declining food consumption. Declining food consumption = less imported food. Less imported food = greater self-sufficiency. So, in essence, just do nothing, like the government has always done. Problem solved!
Ah_so at 09:45 PM JST - 19th May

Almost every bit of land in Japan that can be cultivated is being cultivated. There is currently 40% or so self-sufficiency, so unless Japan discovers large tracts of arable land, I think this is a far off dream.

Unless apecNetworks can come to Japan and show everyone the wonders of rice flower...
jaybeeb at 10:01 PM JST - 19th May

Ah_so, not so! Many abandoned fields and almost all fields are left fallow though winter. There could be a lot done to improve food production in Japan.

There was a time when farmers in Japan did not leave their fields fallow though winter, do you know why they stopped?
bakabaka at 10:10 PM JST - 19th May

ah so is way off. Farmland is being lost annually as the farmers die off, plus rice farmers are paid to keep paddies idle as it keeps the price of rice high.
oyatoi at 12:40 AM JST - 20th May

Since food self sufficiency is a measure of calorific value it stands to reason that the rate has fallen in sync with the change from a fish and vegetable diet to one rich in saturated fats and calories, aka a more Westernized diet. Watch how quickly the rate of self sufficiency goes up when the export economy starts to tank and politicians embrace the vote winning (rural gerrymander remember!) but knee jerk strategy of cutting food imports.
ca1ic0cat at 02:38 AM JST - 20th May

Does Japan have enough airable land to ever come close to food self sufficiency? It seems impossible. If you want to see lost farm land take a look around Ebina. I don't see that trend stopping unless the economic problems continue.
grafton at 04:03 AM JST - 20th May

Just wait for the next part of this, what else might be put on the dinner plates of Japan. Is there something left in the sea that they don’t already eat? I was an adventurous eater, I now worry about some things, a lot.
Den Den at 07:32 AM JST - 20th May

We will have to shave the heads of all the nancy-pansy young Japanese and ship them off to the countryside to reach these goals. You can't expect more from the older generation. Cheap rice prices would to a disaster for these hard-working folk.
Disillusioned at 08:49 AM JST - 20th May

I wonder if these statistics include the food stuffs mislabeled as local produce.

The headline should read: White paper calls for steps to enhance food honesty.