Revision of Japan's Basic Law on Agriculture and its features: Improvement of food self-sufficiency ratio and agricultural price policy
2004
Mishima, T. (Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo (Japan))
Abstract The Agricultural Basic law was enforced in 1961 with the goal of modernizing agriculture under the three pillars of structural improvement, selective expansion and increase in management scale. It is true that the expansion in scale of agriculture and the enhancement of labor productivity have been promoted as a result of the agricultural modernization policy. Meanwhile, the" natural cyclical function of agriculture" has been substantially lost due to the excessive application of fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, soil compaction caused by the use of large machines, and environmental pollution caused by livestock feces. However, the New Basic Agricultural Law enacted in 1999 adopts the same methods and purposes of the old law. The New Law permits the market to set the prices of farm products, which has resulted in the elimination of the price stabilization policy. This is a radical departure from the Old Law which required stabilization of farm products and securement of farmers' income as measures that should be carried out by the government in order to correct adverse production conditions and agricultural trade conditions.
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