Book Review Part 4

Japanese Government Attitudes in Rice Farming

Recently, it is essential to review the intervention of Japanese government in agriculture, especially rice. From 1603 to 1868, barriers and central government has imposed some tax and rice could not be trade freely. The similar system has been continuing now. Also, Japanese government have take over the role of Shogunate and it controls rice firmly.

 

The history of Japanese government controls food

1920    the policy of controling rice

1939    the law of distribution of rice

1942    the law of distribution of all food

 

After the World War 2, the control system was disappeared and by contraries Japanese government give farmers subsidy and became to protect them. After that, the price of rice became high and the wage of farmers changed as same as the salary of official workers in cities. But, the protection of farmers produced the irony results. The consumption of rice is decreasing since Western culture come to Japan and Japanese food style changed. Recently, Japan overproduce rice and Japanese government have to buy the huge rice of extra. Therefore, Japanese government executed the reduction of rice and it makes farmers reduce 30 percent of farming land for using rice farming. Besides, it urges that the increase of rice consumption. For example, rice became to use as school lunch and year-end gifts.


After I finished reading the part, I supposed that the scale of Japanese rice market will be only smaller in the future because of the shift for Western food and the decrease of Japanese population. Now, I have no idea with the solution of the problem. I also think that the policy of use rice as school lunch and gifts have not so much effect. Because the economic scale is not limitless. It's a difficult issue.