Agriculture in Japan. The current state of Japanese agriculture. Features of the Japanese economy
Japan is an archipelago country located in the center of the Asia-Pacific region, spread over the four large islands of Honshu, Hokaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. In addition to them, the territory of the state also includes about 4 thousand small islands, which stretch for three and a half thousand kilometers from the northeast to the southwest. The shores are formed by bays and a large number of bays. All the seas and oceans that wash the archipelago play a huge role for Japan, as they are the main sources of its resources.
Population
In terms of population, the Land of the Rising Sun is in the top ten in the world. The Japanese boast the world's longest life expectancy (76 years for men and 82 for women).
The national composition is characterized by relative homogeneity. The Japanese form almost ninety-nine percent of the country's total population. Among other peoples living in Japan there are quite a lot of Koreans, as well as Chinese. The vast majority profess Shintoism or Buddhism. The most densely populated are the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Almost eighty percent of the Japanese live in large cities, eleven of which are cities with over a million people.
Industry of Japan
(On the assembly line, robots have practically replaced humans)
Japanese industry is almost entirely dependent on imported resources. Recently, the country has been forced to reduce the growth of energy-intensive and metal-intensive production, which depends on imported raw materials, focusing on the knowledge-intensive industry. However, both ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering, automobile and shipbuilding, construction industry, energy, chemical and petrochemical, food and pulp and paper industries are well developed in Japan.
And, of course, Japan is one of the few countries where almost everywhere they are trying to replace people on assembly lines with industrial robots.
(Industrial plant in Japan)
The largest metallurgical centers, operating almost entirely on imported raw materials, are plants located in Osaka, Tokyo and Fuji. The scale of primary smelting of non-ferrous metals in Japan is gradually declining, but most of the plants located in the largest industrial centers still operate today.
The light and food industries play an important role. The electric power industry predominantly uses imported raw materials. The predominant components in the Japanese raw material base are oil and natural gas; with the share of coal decreasing, the role of hydro and nuclear energy is increasing. In the field of energy, sixty percent of its capacity comes from thermal power plants, and twenty-eight percent comes from nuclear energy. Hydroelectric power stations are located in cascades on mountain rivers.
(Robots are busy assembling at a car factory)
Mechanical engineering is well developed in Japan. The leading sub-sectors are electrical engineering and electronics, the radio industry is very well developed, and transport engineering is growing rapidly. The country is a leader in the volume of construction of tankers and dry cargo ships. The main shipyards are located in the ports of Yokohama, Nagasaki, Kobe. Japan is also a consistent leader in automotive construction. Thirteen million cars roll off the assembly lines of Japanese factories every year.
(The city of Tokyo is partially powered by solar panels)
In recent years, the country has begun to actively implement the so-called “Sunlight” program, which consists of the development of non-traditional energy sources. Among economically developed countries, Japan also ranks first in terms of the share of expenditures on the development of science and biotechnology.
Agriculture in Japan
(Unusual drawings in rice fields in Japan)
Agriculture contributes approximately two percent of the country's gross national product and remains one of the most important sectors of its economy. Six and a half percent of the population works in this area. Japanese agricultural production is mainly concentrated on food products. Japan provides seventy percent of its own food needs. Thirteen percent of the territory is allocated for agriculture. The leading role belongs to crop production, in particular the cultivation of rice and vegetables; gardening is widespread. Livestock farming is also developing at an intensive pace. Thus, in Japan, cattle and poultry are raised, and pig farming is developed.
(Fishing boat near the port of the Sea of Japan)
The exceptionally favorable location determines the abundance of fish and seafood dishes in the diet of every Japanese. Fishing is carried out in almost all areas of the World Ocean. Japan has an extensive fishing fleet of more than four hundred thousand vessels. In addition, the country owns over three thousand fishing ports.
S.B. Markarian
Japan's agricultural sector: are there prospects for development?
For several decades now, Japan's agriculture has been, to a certain extent, the Achilles heel of its economy. Currently, the main problems of the agricultural sector are an insufficient level of production, a shortage of labor, especially young people, low levels of agricultural income and competitiveness in the foreign market. The fairly well-technically equipped industry is significantly inferior in terms of labor productivity and production efficiency to other areas of the national economy, as well as to the agricultural sectors of developed countries and, most importantly, to the level of their development in food importing countries. This is today the main pain point of the agricultural sector, which has become especially acute in the context of the large-scale spread of free trade agreements.
The main reason for the low efficiency of agricultural production is the small size of farming, mainly due to small, and often fragmented, land plots of farmers. This does not give them the opportunity to economize on the scale of production, especially in the agricultural sectors, which account for over two-thirds of the cost of agricultural products. The vast majority of farms have up to 1 hectare at their disposal. Parcel land use is a characteristic feature of Japan, associated with both the natural-geographical, socio-economic and historical conditions of the country's development.
First of all, it is necessary to note the small size of the land suitable for cultivation. Approximately 70% of the country's territory is in mountainous forest areas. The share of cultivated area never rose above 16%. In 2005 it was 12.4%. Plains occupy only 20% of the area. Moreover, most of the cultivated land is on slopes, and terraced fields are a familiar landscape in the country. Historically, after the liquidation of feudal land ownership in the last quarter of the 20th century, most of the land, by hook or by crook (for its purchase and sale was prohibited) fell into the hands of landowners, many of whom did not cultivate it, but rented it out in small plots. The dramatic land reform of the late 1940s put the land into the hands of those who worked it and limited the size of land use to an average (depending on area) of 3 hectares, in order to prevent the revival of large landholdings established before the Second World War.
Post-reform protectionist agricultural policy (low taxes on agricultural land, high producer prices set by the state, preferential lending, etc.) significantly contributed to the development of the modern level of agriculture and improving the lives of the rural population. At the same time, the technical equipment of production, making labor easier and increasing its productivity, at the same time increased its costs, because the small size of the farm did not allow for savings on the scale of production. In addition, state control over the production and distribution of main types of agricultural products, the preservation of barriers to land mobility and the protection of producers from foreign products competing with Japanese significantly limited the development of market levers for the functioning of the industry and undermined the possibility of increasing production efficiency.
It must be said that in Japan, strict government regulation and protectionist policies extended in certain periods to other sectors of the economy, but at the same time, conditions were created for the development of competition there. This was not the case in the agricultural sector. Many manufacturers, especially small ones (and they were the majority), had no need to save resources, apply more advanced technologies, or strive to increase labor productivity. All this hindered the emergence of real entrepreneurs with economic savvy. As a result, production efficiency decreased, which put agriculture in a difficult situation in the face of external challenges, and the consumer in the face of high food prices.
Thus, what was a boon for the development of the industry in the first two post-war decades gradually became a brake on the growth of production and, most importantly, its efficiency. Understanding the severity of the impending problems, the government took separate steps aimed at changing this situation. But it carried them out very slowly and often inconsistently, so the results were very modest. The government was afraid that taking more radical measures could lead to the ruin of part of the peasantry, cause social unrest and reduce the level of production.
However, these fears were not seriously founded. Firstly, by the end of the 1960s, the country experienced overproduction of the main crop - rice, and secondly, the majority
Peasant families were connected to the city (the number of so-called part-time workers accounted for 80% of commercial farms), and in general the family had a fairly good income. In addition, as you know, the Japanese are characterized by discipline and conformism, respect for law and authority, and the ability to subordinate personal interests to the interests of society. In other words, there were essentially no reasons for destructive actions, and the above-mentioned actions of the government of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) were dictated mainly by political motives - the fear of losing a significant part of the electorate (traditionally, in the post-war period, the village voted for the ruling party)1. And of course, the general paternalistic attitude in the country, characterized by its adherence to Confucian ethics, also played a certain role in the protectionist policy.
The impetus for taking more serious measures to resolve these problems was the forced liberalization of important types of agricultural products for Japan at the request of the WTO in the early 1990s. Among the most important measures taken since the second half of the 1990s, we can note the introduction of a tariff system to protect against cheap imported products (instead of quantitative restrictions on their import), easing the practice of administrative regulation of production, partial deregulation of the sphere of domestic trade in agricultural products, and the cessation of price support for agricultural products. it, the introduction of a system of targeted assistance only to large farms, granting non-agricultural joint stock companies the right to conduct agricultural production on leased land.
However, more radical decisions, such as allowing the purchase of land by non-agricultural companies or reducing tariffs on imported food, which should have led to increased production efficiency, were not adopted. The current government of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) continues to pursue the same policies in the field of agricultural protection as its predecessor, the LDP.
True, the DPJ is trying to solve all the above problems, primarily by directly supporting the income of producers, rather than by raising prices. From the perspective of Japan's trade relations with other countries, the direct payment program is very important because income support is not considered a trade-distorting measure. Europe and the United States, when making decisions in the Uruguay Round of negotiations within the GATT in the first half of the 1990s, switched to an income support system, while Japan continued to implement price
support, which placed a heavy burden on the Japanese consumer2.
But the whole point is that the main pathos of the new Japanese income support system is that support is provided to all farms without exception, and not just large ones, which the LDP began to do in the last years of its rule. From a social point of view, this measure is very attractive and understandable, but no matter how the democrats face the same difficulties as their predecessors, because small farms and part-time farmers in such conditions are unlikely to rent out land and may even return it earlier passed. And, receiving subsidies and paying low taxes on agricultural land, they will not be interested in any reforms.
Thus, it is clear that in many ways this action, as in its time by the LDP, is primarily political, but by no means social, and certainly not economic. In short, the DPJ is stepping on the same rake as the previous government. The “effectiveness” of these new income support measures was aptly illustrated by Miyagi University Vice President Ohizumi Kazunuki: “The government’s actions are like pressing the gas and the brake at the same time.”3 As a result, the prospects for the emergence of large-scale farms, hopes for reducing production costs and, as a consequence, increasing the competitiveness of Japanese agricultural products may become very problematic.
But today the situation is such that Democrats will still have to adjust this support. Due to the natural disaster that struck Japan in March 2011, most of the funding will be used to restore the damage caused, and there simply will not be enough money to support the incomes of all farmers. In the affected area of the country, agriculture, forestry and fisheries play a key role in the economy. The northeastern region (Tohoku) is one of the most developed agricultural areas in the country. The most affected prefectures, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (hereinafter: Ministry of Agriculture), account for over 19% of the total cultivated area, including almost a quarter under rice. About 12% of dairy cattle and 16% of beef cattle are concentrated here, over a quarter of pigs and laying hens, about 24% of broilers, 13% of milk and 27% of eggs are produced4. Fukushima Prefecture, which suffered from
2 According to OECD estimates (2006), due to price support, the Japanese consumer pays approximately 88% of the total amount of money spent on supporting agriculture, while in the USA - 17%, in Europe - 45% (in 1986-1988 in the USA and Europe these figures were much higher - 37 and 86%, respectively).
3 Nikkei Weekly. 03.10.2011.
4 Data for 2009, for fish - 2008. Calculated according to Nihon
for the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, it was in fourth place in the country in the production of rice, in second place in the production of peaches and green beans, and in third place in pears and cucumbers5.
The Ministry of Agriculture estimated the damage caused to the agricultural sector (as of March 5, 2012) at 947.6 billion yen6 (land devastated, soil salinized, buildings destroyed, irrigation and drainage canals, equipment damaged, damage to agricultural products, livestock, feed production enterprises, etc.). According to the ministry's plans, in the most affected prefectures - Iwate and Miyagi - the land will become suitable for agricultural work within a year, starting in April 2012 by 46% and by 95% in FY 2014. G.; in Fukushima Prefecture in FY2012. g. it will be restored by only 20%7. It is estimated that the entire reconstruction will take at least ten years. An even longer period will be required for Fukushima Prefecture, where complete decontamination due to radioactive contamination could take, according to some estimates, even up to 30 years8.
However, paradoxically, in connection with this tragedy there was even hope that in the course of work to eliminate the consequences of a natural-man-made disaster, the problems of structural restructuring of the industry could be resolved. The fact is that the government concept of restoration work is not just about restoring agricultural production, but also about its reconstruction, i.e. about carrying out those reforms that the country’s leadership has been unable to decide on for a long time.
In particular, in the report of the Council on Elimination of the Consequences of the Earthquake, presented to the Prime Minister on June 25, 2011, in the part relating to the restoration of the agricultural sector of the economy, forestry and fisheries, the following slogan was defined - “from rapid recovery to reconstruction.” It is in the word “reconstruction” that, in essence, the necessary reform is contained.
For its implementation, three strategic guidelines are proposed, since in the region in question there are areas with different economic, topographical, climatic and cultural characteristics. Restructuring directions should be chosen in accordance with these characteristics. The first strategy involves creating products with a high level of added value. It's about securing employment.
Tokei Nenkan (Japanese Statistical Yearbook) Tokyo, 2012 (www.stat.go.jp/english/data/nenkan/index.html).
5 Data for 2010 Nikkei Weekly. November 28, 2011.
6 FY2011 Annual Report on Food Agriculture and Rural Areas. Summary. Japan, 2012 (www.maff.go.jp/j/wpaper/w_maff/h23/pdf/e_all.pdf).
7 Kyodo, 08/26/2011.
8 Nikkei Weekly. November 28, 2011.
and increasing incomes by creating the so-called “sixth industry” - a new business that will be a synthesis of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors and local production and will be based on advanced technologies. The second strategy is aimed at reducing production costs based on changes and detailed development of land use plans9. The third concerns diversification of farm management. We are talking about finding new sources of income through the development of tourism in rural areas, including agritourism, or the creation of new types of entrepreneurship, for example, energy production from biomass, etc.
In this regard, a number of recommendations set out in the document of the Headquarters for Elimination of the Consequences of the Earthquake dated July 29, 2011 are of particular interest. In particular, it proposes to restore the Tohoku region as a new food supply base. To do this, according to the developers of the document, it is necessary to rely on a new system of land use and make efforts to ensure that this area serves as a model for other regions of the country, bearing in mind the importance of primary industries for the development of the economy and society as a whole. In addition, it is recommended to prepare future participants in agricultural production by discussing this issue in the local community based on the implementation of the three strategies mentioned above; introduce a new structure of agriculture through the development of information technologies in the agricultural sector, which will help produce high-quality products and conduct research on a large scale using advanced agricultural technologies.
Commenting on government projects to eliminate the consequences of the events of March 11, to restore and rebuild the affected areas, as well as the main directions of industry development for FY 2011. published in the Ministry of Agriculture's annual report on the state of food, agriculture and rural areas, representatives of Japanese academic circles note some progress towards the creation of a “new agriculture” (although they also emphasize the need for more radical steps towards changes in the agrarian structure) and express the hope that the new concept for the development of the industry will take it far beyond the limits of “restoration after the earthquake.”
The possibility of realizing the hope of urgent reform is reinforced by another circumstance. We are talking about the spread
9 It is proposed, in particular, to create a body that would rent unused land from the owners in order to then lease it to those who can conduct production on large areas - 20-30 hectares (The Nikkei. 07/12/2011, morning release).
the ongoing campaign for the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP). In November 2011, Japan announced that it was willing to participate in negotiations to join the East Asia Commonwealth, which was created in 2006 as a free trade area between Singapore, New Zealand, Brunei and Chile. Currently, the United States, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, and Malaysia are negotiating to join this agreement. Since 2010, nine rounds of negotiations have already taken place, which are expected to be completed in 2012.10 A number of other countries (Canada, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan) have also announced their intention to join these negotiations. And, what is very important for Japan, the idea of creating the TPP is being vigorously promoted by the United States, the main exporter of food to this country (the US share, although it has greatly decreased over the past 20 years, amounted to 26.8% in 2010).
Japan's participation in these negotiations poses a serious challenge for it - not to jeopardize its uncompetitive agricultural sector. Until recently, at the WTO negotiations and during discussions of the terms of bilateral economic partnership agreements with a number of countries (by February 2011, Japan had already concluded or completed negotiations on these agreements with 13 countries), the Japanese side, one way or another, managed to maintain protective measures for their agriculture. We are talking, in particular, about fairly high tariffs on the most “significant” food products for it.
If the country joins this agreement, it will have to eliminate tariffs on approximately 5,900 items. So far, bilateral economic partnership agreements have already concluded tariffs on 940 items, of which agriculture accounts for approximately 850. According to government estimates, if Japan becomes a party to this agreement, its GDP could grow by about 0.48-0.65 %, if not, then it will decrease by 0.13-0.14% and, what is especially serious for it, it will remain, according to the Chairman of the Japanese Federation of Economic Organizations (Nippon Keidanren) Enekura Hiromasa, “behind global economic growth” 12. And in this case, according to the calculations of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, its GDP is under-
10 It is expected that by this time a decision will be made to eliminate 11 thousand tariffs and a roadmap for future trade relations will be created (www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R40502.pdf). The next meeting was held in early September 2012. Based on the results of this forum, analysts suggest that Prime Minister Noda will announce joining the TPP negotiations in October, after a government reshuffle (www.eastasiaforum.org/trans-pacific-partnership/) .
11 The Nikkei. 28.10.10, morning edition.
12 The New York Times. 11/11/2010.
there are over 10 trillion hidden. yen and 8 million jobs will be eliminated13.
In general, this problem is very difficult for Japan, as it raises many questions. For example, the need to dramatically improve the efficiency of agricultural production, the availability of more cash to compensate farmers, increased demands from the United States to lift restrictions on the import of American beef, confronting American accusations of unfair competition from the state-backed Japanese postal company, or demands from developing countries to accept foreign workers, which Japan is very wary of, etc.
Of course, farmers and their organizations are opposed to participating in these negotiations. Chairman of the All Japan Council of Agricultural Cooperatives Moteki Mamoru said at a press conference that this step is incompatible with ensuring Japan's food security, and that participation in these negotiations will make it difficult to raise the level of food self-sufficiency to 50% (currently this figure is only 40%)14. In his opinion, the question of whether or not to join the negotiations may mean “to secure or destroy the future of the country”15. The Ministry of Agriculture is also seeking to prevent negotiations on this issue. It published estimates that if tariffs were eliminated on just 19 major agricultural items,16 many jobs would be lost and the value of Japanese agricultural production would be reduced by up to 4 trillion. yen, i.e. about half. Some DPJ members, including parliamentarians, also speak out against it. Some representatives of academic circles also evaluate joining the TPP negatively, believing that this project is beneficial specifically to the United States and cannot give anything to the Japanese economy as a whole, but at the same time will destroy its agriculture17.
Others, on the contrary, believe that Japan’s participation in the TPP will have a positive impact on the development of Japanese agriculture in the long term, or that this particular trade partnership “could provide a much-needed shock therapy” for the Japanese agricultural sector18. During a survey of the population regarding
13 The New York Times. 11/11/2010.
14 It is calculated based on the number of kilocalories contained in domestic products.
15 The Nikkei. 28.1010; 29.10.10, morning edition.
16 Currently, rice, peanuts and starch are subject to duties of 500-1000%, wheat, barley, butter, skimmed milk powder, pork, sugar and silk - in the amount of 200-500%.
17 Nikkei Weekly. 12/20/2010.
18 The New York Times. 11/11/2010; The Nikkei.11/24/2011.
the country's participation in the TPP, conducted by Kyodo News, 46.6% were in favor, 38.6% were against. And this is not surprising, since food prices in Japan are significantly higher than the world average19.
On November 6, 2010, the government adopted a document entitled “Basic Policy on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership,” which demonstrated Japan's commitment to free trade. It noted that in modern conditions it is necessary to deepen economic relations with all countries, and in particular in the Asia-Pacific region, which is very important for Japan from all points of view, and it is interested in its development and prosperity. It was emphasized that the initiative to create a free trade zone will help create a unified Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, the government decided to “open up the country” and “lead it into a new future.”
The document also emphasized that it is necessary to carry out a number of serious reforms to increase the competitiveness of Japanese products, in particular in the agricultural sector, for which a special body will be created to promote structural reforms in it, which will prepare its proposals by June 201120
However, the tragic events of March 11, 2011 made their own adjustments, and on May 17, 2011, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution on the main directions of the upcoming policy in connection with the events of March 2011. In the section on economic partnership agreements, a commitment to the basic policy of strengthening Japan's close ties was noted with other countries, but emphasized the need to take into account the feelings of farmers and fishermen who had suffered huge losses. This document also mentioned that the timing of the decision to join or not join the TTO negotiations will be determined based on the overall future outlook21. And of course, in June 2011, as previously expected, specific proposals for structural reforms in the agricultural sector were not published, and the debate about “entering” or “non-entering” into negotiations on a free trade area continued.
In the midst of these debates, the government published a report in October 2011 on planned ways to reform the agricultural sector. It is planned to increase the average farm size by 10 times within five years - to 20-30 hectares in the plains and to 10-20 hectares in the hilly and mountainous regions. Due to
19 The New York Times. 11/11/2010. For rice they are four times higher, for butter and beef - three times, for wheat - two times.
20 www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/kan/topics/20101106basicpolicyepa.pdf
21 www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/topics/2011/20110517_ guideline_2hdf
With this, the Ministry of Agriculture was considering the issue of providing subsidies to those owners who sell or lease their land to the younger generation of farmers, and not just to those who buy or lease land. Funds for this were provided in the third supplementary budget for FY 2011. d. But the implementation of this program was postponed until the beginning of the next financial year. In FY 2011 d. the amount of subsidies for those who lease land to expand economic activities was supposed to be determined at 20 thousand yen per 0.1 hectare (or 1 thousand sq. m). From FY2012 d. The Ministry of Agriculture plans to provide such subsidies to individual sellers and lessors, including intermediary organizations for transactions22.
The government also plans to introduce subsidies to help young workers entering agriculture. In addition, it is planned to create a special fund on the basis of public-private partnership in order to finance those who will simultaneously engage not only in production, but also in the processing and sale of agricultural and fishery products23.
At the same time, the question arises of revising the income support program as one of the measures to increase the efficiency of agricultural production. On the one hand, according to calculations by the Ministry of Agriculture back in the fall of 2010, if we join the TPP and cancel tariffs, it will be necessary to increase the amount of annual subsidies for this purpose, which is fraught with financial complications. On the other hand, if the government’s plans to increase the size of farms are implemented, then the cost of production itself will decrease, and the need for this support will largely disappear. Additionally, the tariffs will not be lifted overnight. An example of this is Peru, which received a grace period of 10-12 years24. Japan, with its long history of defending its interests in the WTO, is likely to be able to achieve a similar delay.
What opportunities do the Japanese have for a relatively rapid rise in agriculture? Although the situation in the industry is currently very serious (the cultivated area, production volume, agricultural income and the number of farms with relatively young workers are declining, production costs continue to remain high), it is still serious to say that Japanese agriculture will cease to exist , hardly worth it.
There are quite a lot of proposals on how to improve the current situation in the agricultural sector, and they are quite realistic. They are repeatedly presented
22 Kyodo. 09/13/2011.
23 Kyodo. 10/26/2011.
24 Nikkei Weekly. 01/31/2011.
business circles represented by various economic organizations, and primarily the Japanese Federation of Economic Organizations (Nippon Keidanren), as well as individual politicians, economists and specialists on agricultural issues, both during meetings and conferences, and in scientific research. For example, at the Japanese Forum on International Relations in 2009, a document-recommendation was adopted entitled “Japan's Strategy for the Development of Agriculture in a Globalized World,” signed by 99 people - politicians, economists, and public figures25.
The agricultural sector is considered in this “Strategy” not only as a source of food supply for the Japanese people, but also as an industry with growth potential and the ability to contribute to world food markets. The authors of the document propose, in particular, to create “basic food production zones” (such as free economic zones), where high-quality products would be produced at low cost on large plots of cultivated land using the latest technologies26. In these zones, it is intended to ensure the free transfer of land for lease or ownership and remove any other restrictions while simultaneously prohibiting the inappropriate use of agricultural land for a period of at least 30 years. It is emphasized that in order to stimulate the creation of large landholdings, it is necessary to induce small farm owners to part with their land as quickly as possible (with appropriate compensation).
Among other proposals for the consolidation of economic units, the recommendation on the procedure for eliminating striped grass deserves attention. The fact is that in Japan, historically, the cultivated land on a farm consists of several, and often very many (up to 60 units) plots, which are often located at a great distance from each other, and moreover, their shape can be very quirky. Because of this, even in a large-scale farm, it is difficult to effectively use modern technology. Therefore, it is very important that the enlargement of the size of farms is carried out not by exchanging rights to land between owners (which sometimes happened in the past), when the outlines of the boundaries of the plots remain unchanged, but on the basis of connecting disparate fields into a single space so that work can be carried out effectively to improve
25 www.jfir.or.jP/e/pr/pdf/31pdf
26 It is proposed to allocate approximately 1.5 million hectares for these zones, where first to create infrastructure and provide conditions for increasing labor productivity; to form about 10 thousand farms here, with approximately 100 hectares under cultivation.
land acquisition, change the shape and size of individual plots27.
And the land that was devastated and then restored after the natural disaster on March 11, according to Japanese analysts, could become a testing ground for such events. Relevant projects are already being proposed. In particular, in Miyagi Prefecture, the issue of creating an ultra-modern farm of 200-300 hectares in size on the basis of a public-private partnership is being considered. Such well-known companies as Fujitsu, Hitachi or Sharp are expected to take part in the project. Panasonic, MES, Yammar, etc. are also showing interest, and various research institutes are also invited. Management of the farm will be entrusted to local agricultural companies.
It is advisable to talk in some more detail about proposals regarding rice production, primarily because the costs of rice farming are very high, and approximately half of all farms in the country grow rice. Experts believe, and it is difficult to disagree with their opinion, that it is necessary to stop limiting rice production (which the government requires and issues subsidies for this purpose). Moreover, on the contrary, you can grow it in any quantity, because it is of high quality and will always find demand on the world market (provided, of course, that its cost is reduced). They believe that the current conditions in the agricultural sector do not provide an opportunity for talented farmers to demonstrate their abilities, and for the country to demonstrate its economic potential29.
According to analysts, with an increase in production in the context of a decrease in domestic demand for rice (it is constantly falling, primarily due to differentiation in the nutritional structure), prices will fall, and all problems in the foreign market will be resolved by themselves. Now the population bears a double burden - they buy expensive rice and pay taxes, which go towards subsidies to reduce the area under this crop. And in order to pay these subsidies, officials of the Ministry of Agriculture are trying to increase the agricultural budget under the plausible pretext of increasing the degree of self-sufficiency in food30.
27 And in the rest of the territory such work can be carried out as public works with the participation of the state, local authorities and individual farms. In this case, it is proposed to evaluate the land before carrying out land improvement work and after its completion, and all differences in the combined areas - in water quality, slope levels and other natural conditions - are calculated in monetary form.
28 The Nikkei. 01/05/1012.
29 Japan Echo, June 2009, p. 21, 22, 24; Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 05/19/2009.
30 Asakawa Yoshihiro. Playing Tricks with the Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio//Japan Echo, June 2009.
In contrast to critics of the policy of liberalizing rice trade, a study of this problem was conducted at the Research Institute of Economics, Trade and Industry. Based on the use of a stochastic general equilibrium model, several scenarios for rice production in Japan and in rice exporting countries were analyzed. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the removal of customs barriers cannot negatively affect the supply of rice to the Japanese, as opponents of liberalization insisted31.
One can cite many more similar statements and examples that confirm that protecting an unprofitable manufacturer is, first of all, the desire of the ruling party to maintain the support of its voters, and is by no means a serious concern for the fate of production.
Thus, the main directions of reform are visible quite clearly. It is only necessary to develop mechanisms that will be able to implement the government’s plans for reforming the agricultural sector, outlined at the end of 2011 - a 10-fold increase in the size of farms, creating conditions for attracting young people to the industry and organizing financing for the integration of production, processing and sale of agricultural products. And it is necessary to show political will to implement these measures. The main thing is that they are carried out purposefully and systematically. Of course, institutional reforms always, to one degree or another, cause some damage to one or another part of society. And of course, we need to think carefully about how to minimize it, and develop optimal ways to carry out the necessary transformations.
31 Productivity Shocks and National Food Safety for Japan //RIETI Discussion Paper Series 09-E-004.
Being an island state (its territory is slightly larger than the Arkhangelsk region), the country does not have significant mineral reserves. Ore, coal, gas and oil are imported from abroad. The state is very interested in the construction of a gas pipeline from Sakhalin and the supply of Russian gas.
The territory of Japan is a powerful subduction zone (strong earthquakes). Here, at the Japan Trench, three lithospheric plates collide: Pacific, Philippine and Eurasian. This causes high seismic activity on the Japanese and Kuril Islands, which also does not contribute to economic development.
However, the Land of the Rising Sun occupies a leading position among the developed economies of the world in the production of steel, automobiles, electronics and shipbuilding. Fishing and seafood production are developed. Biofuel is produced from rice straw on a high-tech basis. Gross domestic product is approaching 4.5 trillion dollars (per capita - about 30 thousand dollars). The Japanese yen is included in the IMF's five reserve currencies. The country's economy is at the forefront of the 6th technological order. The modernization of its economy was carried out here in (1960-1970).
Japan has one of the highest population densities in the world. Almost all of it is concentrated in the coastal lowlands and river valleys. The agglomerations formed around the largest cities - Tokyo, Osaka, Nogoya - form the huge Tokaido metropolis with an average population density of 800-1000 people/km 2 .
The fishing fleet makes up 15% of the world's. Agriculture is subsidized by the state, but 55% of food (calorie equivalent) is imported. There is a network of Shinkansen and expressways.
Export structure: transport vehicles, cars, motorcycles, electronics, electrical engineering, chemicals. Import structure: machinery and equipment, fuel, food, chemicals, raw materials.
At the end of the 20th century, Japan's foreign exchange reserves grew rapidly. The government introduced a system of measures to liberalize the export of Japanese capital abroad. Now it is the most powerful banking center and international lender. Its share of international loans increased from 5% in 1980 to 20.6% in 1990. Export of capital is the main form of foreign economic activity. Most Japanese capital works in the United States (42.2%), in Asia (24.2%), Western Europe (15.3%), and Latin America (9.3%).
As of 2007, Japan ranked 19th in terms of GDP to hours worked. According to the Big Mac Index, Japanese workers earn the highest hourly wages in the world. Japan has a low unemployment rate, but in 2009 it began to rise and amounted to 5.1%. Leading companies are Toyota, Nintendo, NTT DoCoMo, Canon, Honda, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Sony, Nippon Steel, Tepco, Mitsubishi. In addition, the country is home to several of the largest banks, as well as the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which ranks second in the world in terms of market capitalization. In 2012, 326 Japanese companies were on the Forbes 3000, representing 16.3% of the list.
Recently, Japan's relations with Russia have been improving. At the end of February this year, an impressive delegation of Russian businessmen, headed by the Minister of Industry and Trade D. Manturov, arrived in Tokyo for a joint forum. 300 domestic companies and 70 Japanese were represented at the event. In connection with the weakening of the ruble, putting aside the “excessive caution” inherent in entrepreneurs of the Land of the Rising Sun, they became keenly interested in acquiring Russian assets that had fallen in price.
Moreover, not only gas, oil and metals, but also value-added products are of interest. In addition to the enterprises already operating in the Russian Federation with Japanese capital, businessmen are ready to build new ones in the fields of electronics, pharmaceuticals, waste processing and machine tool building. The advanced industrial technology of this highly developed country will definitely help the progress of our economy.
The modernization of the entire economy was carried out here in the 1960-1970s. The organizer of the Japanese miracle was the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan. Specialists from this ministry, after analyzing the international economic situation and internal potential, identified “industries of the future.” This term designated sectors of the economy and enterprises that had prospects for growth and competitiveness. Development plans were created for all these enterprises, and their implementation was accompanied by credit and tax preferences. This Ministry created favorable conditions for the development of scientific research. New industries that emerged received protection from international competition and had access to government subsidies. The growth of population education and the development of industrial training were stimulated.
However, even now, being the fourth industrial power in the world, Japan remains one of the most economically closed developed countries. Nobel laureate J. Galbraith wrote that “all the countries that have industrialized recently: Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, Iran could not have done this without intensive government intervention and support.”
With Japan's emergence as an economic superpower, the fate of agriculture, despite favorable agro-climatic conditions, was under threat. The rural population, thinned after the war, has been reduced to three million families, of which less than two are rice farmers. Half of the peasants are over 65 years old. As people say, “farming has become the occupation of grandparents.”
The traditional respect for the work of the farmer, and above all the rice grower, is not accidental. Since time immemorial, rice has been not only the basis of the diet, but also a key factor in the formation of national character. Japanese civilization knew practically neither hunting nor cattle breeding. Its origins are irrigated agriculture, the cultivation of rice on hillsides turned into terraced terraces.
It is beyond the power of one family to create and maintain such an irrigation system. This requires the joint work of the rural community. It is in the extremely labor-intensive rice growing that the spirit of collectivism inherent in the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun is rooted, the willingness to put the common good above personal gain (which gave rise to a system of lifelong employment unique to this country). Rice cultivation in Japan is equated to a cult and is regarded as heroism.
Despite low wages, farmers managed to stabilize rice harvests at 8 million tons. Less than two million peasant farms not only fully provide the country's 127 million inhabitants with the main food crop - rice, but also produce almost two-thirds of the vegetables, meat, and eggs consumed by the people. Japan's gross agricultural output is $80 billion. But the country produces only 39 percent of the food it needs. People started talking about this figure that stunned everyone after switching to the method accepted in international practice: comparing domestic and imported food products not by cost, but by the number of calories.
In the 60s, the same figure was almost 80 percent, and now for the first time it has fallen below 40. In terms of food security, Japan is at the bottom of the list of developed countries. For comparison: Australia – 237%, Canada – 145%, USA – 128%, France – 122%, Russia – 80%.
For an archipelago country surrounded by seas, the issue of food security is of vital importance. Therefore, the Japanese government has formulated a strategic goal: to raise the level of food self-sufficiency to 50 percent by 2020.
Japan is a country of long-livers, and this is due to the presence in the diet of a large amount of fish with Q3 fatty acids. But in the post-war years, the consumption of animal fats and “fast food” products from McDonald’s proliferated throughout the country increased. As a result, the country moved from 1st to a place in the second ten of the list in terms of average life expectancy. Fatty “burgers” turned out to be especially harmful to the people who created the most exquisite, truly medicinal cuisine.
The current situation is the result of the fact that the traditional diet of the Japanese has changed dramatically. Previously, the basis of nutrition was rice, vegetables, seafood, and fish. Nowadays, meat consumption has increased 9 times. Milk appeared in the diet. At the same time, rice consumption was halved - from 120 to 60 kilograms per person per year.
Bread also appeared in the traditional diet. And now, in addition to 8 million tons of domestic rice, up to 5 million tons of wheat have to be imported annually. And for the needs of livestock and poultry farming, about 20 million tons of corn and soybeans must be imported for fodder.
In terms of rice yield (65 centners per hectare), the Land of the Rising Sun ranks third in the world. But its cost cannot compete with the large grain production of American, Australian or Canadian farmers. The land holdings of most peasants are little more than one and a half hectares. Therefore, it is advisable to switch from rice to more profitable crops. Following the example of Israel, grow melons, strawberries or kiwis under film. And buy grain at low prices on the world market.
However, in this matter, Tokyo is guided not by commercial gain, but by the interests of food security. The government contracts the entire harvest at a price that is profitable for farmers. And then sells the rice to domestic consumers for much less than what was paid for it. The authorities proceed from the fact that the production of a staple food crop cannot be stopped and resumed at the touch of a button. Let's remember our reforms of the 90s. If an entire generation of rice farmers goes bankrupt, in the event of an international crisis and a naval blockade, the country will no longer be able to feed itself.
The Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (1999 Act) obliged the government to regularly adopt basic plans for food, agriculture and rural development. The first such plan was adopted in 2000. The total area of agricultural land is small - 6 million hectares (13% of the territory), but a significant part of the sown areas produces two, and in some areas, three harvests per year. The sectoral structure of agriculture is dominated by crop production, the main crop being rice. But they also cultivate wheat, soybeans, and vegetables.
About 78% of peasant farms grow only rice without the use of pesticides, using organic farming methods. This is due to a system of government measures that stimulate the cultivation of this crop, often at the expense of others. The cost of rice in Japan is significantly higher than the price. The reason for this is small farming, oversaturation with technology and its irrational use. In terms of the number and power of tractors per unit area, Japan ranks first in the world.
Only on the island of Hokkaido does labor productivity in agriculture approach European levels, which is largely explained by the spread of large landholdings there (up to 15 hectares). The fishing industry is of primary importance for providing the population with food and a number of industries with raw materials.
Japan firmly ranks first in the world in seafood production. This became possible thanks to the balanced management of ocean, sea and coastal fisheries, and intensive fish farming in fresh water bodies. Ocean and sea fish catches in Japan remain at the level of 8 million tons. Coastal fisheries produce 2 million tons of fish annually. Another over 200 thousand tons are obtained annually from fish farming in inland waters. The country has a large network of ports that receive and process fish, including from Russia. The largest of them are Kushiro, Hachinohe, Teshi, Wakkanai, etc.
Fishing and seafood processing has been a traditional sector of the Japanese economy since Neolithic times. On average, a Japanese resident consumes 168 kg of fish annually, which is the highest among countries in the world. The coastal waters of the Japanese archipelago are rich in fish, edible algae and other marine resources. For a long time, the most lucrative fishing spot was the Sanriku Sea in northeastern Honshu, where the cold Kuril Current meets the warm Kuroshio Current. However, due to the accident at the nearby Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, fish and seafood fishing in this area was temporarily stopped. Another place rich in fish is the northern and southern parts of the Western Pacific Ocean.
The main catches are fish of the mackerel family (14%), tuna (8%), anchovies (8%), scallops (7%), saury (5%), fish of the salmon family (5%), squid (5%), pollock (4%) and horse mackerel (4%). Other species caught include crabs, flounder, pagr, etc. Fishing is carried out in coastal and remote waters. Under international law, Japanese fishermen have the right to fish only in Japanese territorial waters and the Japanese exclusive economic zone with a radius of 370 km in the Pacific Ocean.
Japan is the world leader in importing fish and seafood. It imports 20% of all the world's fish exported by other countries. Japanese imports of fish and seafood began to grow following the establishment of international restrictions regarding territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. These restrictions made it impossible for Japanese fishermen to fish in the distant waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Since 1995, Japan has imported more fishery products from overseas than it produces or grows itself. The Japanese spend the most money on importing shrimp, and most of all they buy foreign tuna. The main international suppliers of fish and seafood to Japan are the world leaders in the field of fishing - China, Peru, Chile, USA, Indonesia.
Poultry farming is also developed in Japan. In the post-war years, large industrial dairy complexes appeared in the country, but most of the hay and other feed was imported.
The World Trade Organization has relentlessly criticized Tokyo authorities for subsidizing farmers and slamming rice imports with tariffs that are seven times the world price. In addition, the Japanese prefer domestic, short-grain rice. But under pressure from the WTO, Japan is forced to import 86% of the wheat and almost all the soybeans consumed in the country from abroad.
And yet, the Japanese government’s focus on strengthening food security and energetic measures of state support for domestic agriculture, in our opinion, can serve as an instructive example for Russia.
Zaltsman V.A., Ph.D.
Chelyabinsk region
Territory— 377.8 thousand km 2
Population- 125.2 million people (1995).
Capital- Tokyo.
Geographical location, general information
Japan is an archipelago country located on four large and almost four thousand small islands, stretching 3.5 thousand km from northeast to southwest along the eastern coast of Asia. The largest islands are Honshu, Hokaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. The shores of the archipelago are heavily indented and form many bays and bays. The seas and oceans surrounding Japan are of exceptional importance for the country as a source of biological, mineral and energy resources.
The economic and geographical position of Japan is determined primarily by the fact that it is located in the center of the Asia-Pacific region, which contributes to the country's active participation in the international geographical division of labor.
For a long period, Japan was isolated from other countries. After the unfinished bourgeois revolution of 1867 - 1868. it embarked on the path of rapid capitalist development. At the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. became one of the imperialist states.
Japan is a country of constitutional monarchy. The highest body of state power and the only legislative body is parliament.
Natural conditions and resources of Japan
The geological basis of the archipelago is underwater mountain ranges. About 80% of the territory is occupied by mountains and hills with highly dissected relief with an average height of 1600 - 1700 m. There are about 200 volcanoes, 90 active, including the highest peak - Mount Fuji (3776 m). Frequent earthquakes and tsunami.
The country is poor in mineral resources, but coal, lead and zinc ores, oil, sulfur, and limestone are mined. The resources of its own deposits are small, so Japan is the largest importer of raw materials.
Despite its small area, the length of the country has determined the existence of a unique set of natural conditions on its territory: the island of Hokkaido and the north of Honshu are located in a temperate maritime climate, the rest of Honshu, the islands of Shikoku and Yushu are in a humid subtropical climate, and the Ryukyu Island is in a tropical climate. Japan is located in an active monsoon zone. The average annual precipitation ranges from 2 - 4 thousand mm.
Approximately 2/3 of the territory is mainly mountainous areas covered with forests (more than half of the forests are artificial plantations). Coniferous forests predominate in northern Hokaido, mixed forests in central Honshu and southern Hokkaido, and subtropical forests in the south.
Japan has many rivers, deep, fast, and unsuitable for navigation, but they are a source for hydroelectric power and irrigation.
The abundance of rivers, lakes and groundwater has a beneficial effect on the development of industry and agriculture.
In the post-war period, environmental problems worsened on the Japanese islands. The adoption and implementation of a number of environmental laws reduces the country's pollution levels.
Population of Japan
Japan is one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of population. Japan became the first Asian country to move from the second to the first type of population reproduction. Now the birth rate is 12%, the death rate is 8%. Life expectancy in the country is the highest in the world (76 years for men and 82 years for women).
The population is nationally homogeneous, about 99% are Japanese. Of other nationalities, the Koreans and Chinese are significant in number. The most common religions are Shintoism and Buddhism. The population is distributed unevenly across the area. The average density is 330 people per m2, but the Pacific coastal areas are among the most densely populated in the world.
About 80% of the population lives in cities. 11 cities have millionaires.
Japanese economy
The growth rate of the Japanese economy was one of the highest in the second half of the 20th century. The country has largely undergone a qualitative restructuring of the economy. Japan is at a post-industrial stage of development, which is characterized by highly developed industry, but the leading area is the non-manufacturing sector (services, finance).
Although Japan is poor in natural resources and imports raw materials for most industries, it ranks 1st or 2nd in the world in the output of many industries. Industry is mainly concentrated within the Pacific industrial belt.
Electric power industry mainly uses imported raw materials. In the structure of the raw material base, oil leads, the share of natural gas, hydropower and nuclear energy is growing, and the share of coal is decreasing.
In the electric power industry, 60% of the power comes from thermal power plants and 28% from nuclear power plants.
Hydroelectric power stations are located in cascades on mountain rivers. Japan ranks 5th in the world in terms of hydroelectric power generation. In resource-poor Japan, alternative energy sources are being actively developed.
Ferrous metallurgy. The country ranks first in the world in terms of steel production. Japan's share in the global ferrous metallurgy market is 23%.
The largest centers, now operating almost entirely on imported raw materials and fuel, are located near Osaka, Tokyo, and Fuji.
Non-ferrous metallurgy. Due to the harmful impact on the environment, primary smelting of non-ferrous metals is being reduced, but factories are located in all major industrial centers.
Mechanical engineering. Provides 40% of industrial production. The main sub-sectors among the many developed in Japan are electronics and electrical engineering, radio industry and transport engineering.
Japan firmly ranks first in the world in shipbuilding, specializing in the construction of large-tonnage tankers and dry cargo ships. The main centers of shipbuilding and ship repair are located in the largest ports (Yokogana, Nagosaki, Kobe).
In terms of car production (13 million units per year), Japan also ranks first in the world. The main centers are Toyota, Yokohama, Hiroshima.
The main general engineering enterprises are located within the Pacific industrial belt - complex machine tool building and industrial robots in the Tokyo region, metal-intensive equipment in the Osaka region, machine tool manufacturing in the Nagai region.
The country's share in the world output of the radio-electronic and electrical engineering industries is exceptionally large.
By level of development chemical Japan's industry ranks among the first in the world.
Japan also has developed pulp and paper, light and food industries.
Agriculture Japan remains an important industry, contributing about 2% of GNP; The industry employs 6.5% of the population. Agricultural production is focused on food production (the country provides 70% of its needs for food itself).
13% of the territory is cultivated; in the structure of crop production (providing 70% of agricultural products), the leading role is played by the cultivation of rice and vegetables, and horticulture is developed. Livestock farming (cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming) is developing intensively.
Due to its exceptional location, there is an abundance of fish and seafood in the Japanese diet; the country fishes in all areas of the World Ocean, has more than three thousand fishing ports and has the largest fishing fleet (over 400 thousand vessels).
Transport Japan
All types of transport are developed in Japan with the exception of river and pipeline transport. In terms of cargo transportation volume, the first place belongs to road transport (60%), the second place goes to sea transport. The role of rail transport is declining, while air transportation is growing. Due to very active foreign economic relations, Japan has the largest merchant fleet in the world.
The territorial structure of the economy is characterized by a combination of two different parts: the Pacific belt, which is the socio-economic core of the country, because it contains the main industrial areas, ports, transport routes and developed agriculture, and a peripheral zone that includes areas where logging, livestock farming, mining, hydropower and tourism are most developed. Despite the implementation of regional policy, the smoothing out of territorial imbalances is proceeding rather slowly.
Foreign economic relations of Japan
Japan actively participates in the MGRT, foreign trade occupies a leading place, and the export of capital, production, scientific, technical and other ties are also developed.
Japan's share in world imports is about 1/10. Mainly raw materials and fuel are imported.
The country's share in world exports is also more than 1/10. Industrial goods account for 98% of exports.
Although the national economy is primarily based on industry, agriculture occupies an important place in it, providing the country with most of the food consumed. Largely due to limited land resources and post-war agrarian reform, the village is dominated by small landowners. The average farm size is less than 1.1 hectares. The importance of agricultural production as a potential job opportunity declined sharply after World War II.
Japan is one of the largest importing countries of agricultural products in the world. With only 15% of the country's land available for agriculture and a population of 130 million, Japan is heavily dependent on agricultural and food processing exports. The country imports large volumes of soybeans, wheat, corn, meat and meat products, other food products, vegetables, and fruits. It fully satisfies its own needs only for seafood, some of which it exports.
On average, one farm accounts for 1.47 hectares or 14,700 m2. Japanese farms are relatively small, but Japanese farmers work hard to make the most of their limited acreage, so the land is farmed very efficiently.
Japanese farmers use tractors, pickup trucks, electric cultivators, rice planters and combines to help them increase their productivity. Using intensive farming methods, fertilizers, sophisticated machinery and carefully refined technology, farmers are able to produce half of all the fruits and vegetables consumed in Japan, while still maintaining some of the farm's acreage for livestock. So Japanese agriculture provides a significant portion of the food consumed.
Modern technology has made new farming methods possible. Part of the crop in Japan is grown hydroponically, that is, without soil - just in water. The use of genetic engineering makes it possible to obtain harvests that are richer and safer for human health.
Japanese farmers grow a variety of plant crops, as well as livestock and poultry. These are grains - rice and wheat; vegetables - potatoes, radishes and cabbage; fruits - tangerines, oranges, melons and pears; Livestock products - beef, poultry, pork, milk and eggs.
Most of the non-arable land is forested - about 68%. So, forestry is an important part of the Japanese economy. Japan is an island country and must carefully use its natural resources: 41% of its forests are new forests.
For many centuries, logging has been an important business activity in Japan. Already starting from the 8th century, wooden palaces and temples were built in Kyoto and other cities. But today the demand for wood is so great, not only for construction, but also for the production of paper, furniture and other consumer goods, that Japan imports 76.4% of wood.
Rice is grown throughout Japan, with the exception of the north of Hokkaido, mainly on irrigated lands. Rice yield reaches 50 centners/hectare. The gross rice harvest reaches 10 million tons. In addition to rice, wheat, barley, and corn are grown from grain crops, but in small quantities. Vegetable growing, especially suburban ones, has become widespread in Japan. Common industrial crops include tea, tobacco, sugar beets, and in the south - sugar cane.
Livestock farming is poorly developed because the Japanese consume little meat and dairy products. Recently, the nutritional structure of the Japanese has been changing, which is leading to an increase in demand for livestock products. Livestock farming is actively developing. Meat production is about 4 million tons, and milk production is 8 million tons. A characteristic feature of Japanese livestock farming is the lack of its own food supply. A significant portion of feed is imported. Our own production provides no more than 1/3 of livestock feed needs. Japan's agriculture provides only 3/4 of the country's food supply.
Japan is firmly ranked first in the world in seafood production. This became possible thanks to the balanced management of ocean, sea and coastal fisheries, and intensive fish farming in fresh water bodies.
Ocean and sea fish catches in Japan remain at the level of 8 million tons. Coastal fisheries produce 2 million tons of fish annually. Another over 200 thousand tons. annually obtained from fish farming in inland waters.
Seafood is the main product that satisfies the population's protein needs, although its share in the diet has decreased due to an increase in the share of meat. Japanese imports of fish and seafood in recent years range from 2.0 to 2.4 million tons. The bulk of imports are made up of valuable, high-tasting fish species.
Coastal fishing is carried out by residents of coastal villages; distant - large monopolies with a technically advanced fishing fleet. The northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean is the main region of world fishing; fish and seafood are produced here by Japan, China, Russia, the Republic of Korea, and some other countries.
