Japanese agriculture in East Asian communities: Critique to the recent reform of agriculture policy

This paper discusses the recent reform of Japanese agricultural policies, especially the cross-commodity policy (Japanese-style direct income payments), bringing up principal bearers of agriculture, the farmland system and local agricultural support systems. The consistency of purpose and measures is most important in the making of agricultural policies. Limiting the direct income payments to only principal bearers of agriculture does not coinside with bringing up principal bearers, corresponding to strengthening the WTO disciplines and improving food self-sufficiency. Total subsidies are not increased, payments related to the type or volume of production and the factors of present production are the yellow policy, and lowering tariffs raises the import of agricultural products. If MAFF intends to resolve these problems, it must pay direct income payments to all farmers who sell agricultural products. Japanese agricultural policies limit the bearers of agricultural production to principal bearers, or certified farmers. But there are various type of bearers of agricultural production, for example, farming organizations based on villags, part-time farmers, one-woman farmers, and aging farmers, and agricultural policies must encourage all of them in order to improve food self-sufficiency and maintain community life. The merger of cities, towns, villages and agricultural cooperatives weaken the support systems for local agriculture. Under these conditions, there are many new organizations concerning local agriculture. Agricultural cooperatives play a main role in organizing, but they have been facing an economical crisis since the 1990s. Agricultural cooperatives have to promote local agriculture, especially organizing cooperative agriculture in villages in order to open themselves to regional society and encourage activities among cooperative members. In conclusion, the main theme for Japanese agricultural policies is to raise Japan's food self-sufficiency and build 'Japanese agriculture in the East Asian community'.