Japan's Food Self-Sufficiency and Its Challenges

Japan's Food Self-Sufficiency and Its Challenges

As of FY2023, Japan's food self-sufficiency rate is 38% on a calorie basis and 67% on a production value basis, the lowest among OECD member countries. This is a significant difference from other countries, such as France with 128%, the U.S. with 113%, and Germany with 91%, showing how severe the situation is in Japan. In particular, Japan's self-sufficiency rate for livestock feed is only 25%, with the majority of imports coming from the United States and Brazil. This dependence on imports is a major factor in facing price fluctuations and supply risks on the international market. The self-sufficiency rate for grains in general is low at 28%, wheat at 13%, and corn at nearly 0%. 2023 data show that only 900,000 tons of wheat were produced domestically, while imports amounted to about 5.7 million tons.

Looking at the situation by region, food self-sufficiency exceeds 100% in only eight regions, including Hokkaido, Akita, Iwate, Aomori, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima prefectures. Hokkaido, Akita, and Iwate prefectures maintain high food self-sufficiency rates of 199%, 139%, and 124%, respectively, while urban areas such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kanagawa prefectures have extremely low rates of 1%, 2%, and 5%, respectively. Such regional disparities clearly indicate that food supply in urban areas is dependent on large-scale distribution networks.

Major food companies are also limited in their efforts, with Nissin Foods using less than 10% domestically produced wheat, and Seven & i Holdings using only about 15% domestically produced ingredients in its private brands. This lack of progress in the use of domestic agricultural products is one of the factors hindering the improvement of food self-sufficiency.

Furthermore, one of the reasons for Japan's low food self-sufficiency rate is the loss of a locally produced and consumed food culture. Cases have been reported of locally produced agricultural products being exported to other regions, resulting in a decrease in local consumption. There is also concern about the risk of import stagnation due to large-scale disasters or deterioration of international conditions. For example, during the logistical disruption of 2021, the supply of imported wheat was particularly severely reduced, with a significant impact on the domestic market.

Factors contributing to this situation include the decrease in farmland and the aging of farmers: since the 1990s, the nation's farmland area has decreased by about 30% and now stands at about 4.36 million hectares. In addition, the average age of farmers is over 67, and there is a serious shortage of successors. Another challenge is the strong dependence on imports, with food imports totaling approximately 9 trillion yen in 2022, further reducing the competitiveness of domestic agriculture.

In light of these issues, the Japanese government is focusing on promoting local production for local consumption, utilizing fallow land, and promoting urban agriculture, with the goal of raising the food self-sufficiency ratio on a calorie basis to 45% by 2030, and is trying to strengthen regional agricultural promotion measures and cooperation with businesses and local governments. However, given external factors such as climate change and uncertainties in the international market, more innovative measures are needed to achieve this goal.