Regarding Japan’s Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas:
Following the revision of the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas in May 2024, work is underway to revise the Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas. The Basic Plan is an important medium- to long-term guideline for agricultural policy. This Opinion Letter will be submitted by Consumers Union of Japan to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries during February 2025.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Mr Taku Eto
Consumers Union of Japan
Co-Chairperson Ado Kameyama
Co-Chairperson Miyoko Sasaki
Co-Chairperson Martin Frid
Opinion & Demands on the Revision of the Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas
We are a consumer organisation working for a safe and secure life.
The Government of Japan is currently considering revisions to the Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas. This is an important document that will shape agricultural policies for the next five to ten years, following the 2024 revision of the Basic Law. We call for the consumer/citizen perspective to be emphasised in the Basic Plan.
We have argued that food and agriculture should be valued for their importance to life and the environment, based on the idea that food is not a commodity. However, as a result of the expansion and liberalisation of imports of agricultural products and food, Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate has declined significantly. This has caused not only the decline of domestic agriculture, but also major problems in terms of food safety and the environment.
As food prices soar and shortages become more serious worldwide, it has become clear that the agricultural policies of the past, which were import-dependent and focused on efficiency, cannot protect food. Based on this, we urge you to reflect the following in the revision of the Basic Plan.
1. Regarding the policy targets set out in the Basic Plan: Please publish the Progress Report every year and deliberate on it in Parliament.
2. Regarding the aim to achieve a food self-sufficiency ratio (on a calorie basis) of 45% by 2030, please include specific measures for local production for local consumption and domestic production for domestic consumption towards 50%.
3. Clarify the targets and measures to be taken by 2030 to increase the number of farmers (number and type of farmers), the area of farmland and the utilisation rate of arable land compared to the current level.
4. Diversify the definition of farmers to include small-scale family farms, dual-income farmers and subsistence farmers in line with local conditions, and broaden the base of those who are engaged in farming. In doing so, put a stop to the entry of companies that are not rooted in the local community. Also, develop a system that allows anyone, including urban residents, to get involved in agriculture, such as “Half Farmer, Half X”, “Citizen Farmer” and relief farming.
5. Clarify measures to promote local production for local consumption. In particular, for school lunches, basically all foodstuffs should be produced domestically, with the national average of locally produced foodstuffs to be more than 70% (currently approximately 60%).
6. Organic agriculture should be promoted on the basis of respect for life, without violating the laws of nature and without the use of modern biotechnological techniques.
7. Set a target for the promotion of organic farming of 5% of all farmland by 2030 (currently 0.6%). Also, support more municipalities to declare organic villages (currently 129). Furthermore, establish a new “Organic City Declaration” to enable urban municipalities to increase the supply of food produced by organic farming (including school lunches) in partnership with municipalities that have declared organic villages.
8. Strengthen comprehensive research, training and education to promote organic farming. Establish “Organic Farming Parks” (model farms, training, food and agricultural education, etc.) and “Organic Farming Extension Centres” (lending of farming equipment, consultation, seed holding, etc.) in each region.
9. Promote the use of organic produce in school lunches, with more than 20% of municipalities able to do so in the immediate future (currently around 200 municipalities). Aim for 100% for organic rice and 30% for organic produce.
10. Clarify the targets for the conservation of local varieties and seeds, mainly indigenous species, in each region and for the improvement of domestic self-sufficiency in seeds. Also, provide support for domestic production of organic seeds and set plans and targets for expanding supply.
11. Specify biodiversity and environmental protection measures. In particular, quantify the negative environmental aspects of agricultural production, such as the use of pesticides and plastics for agricultural materials, and set reduction targets. In addition, take action against pollution caused by the use of sewage sludge as fertiliser, the problem of biodiversity loss due to extended drying out of paddy fields to prevent methane gas, and the pollution of agricultural land with organo-fluorine compounds (PFAS).
12. Ensure food security for people with economic difficulties. In addition to support for food banks and children’s cafeterias, consider mechanisms that can provide direct food assistance to poor households. Establish a system ensuring food security for all, while also promoting regional and domestic agriculture.
13. Regulate the production and sale of lifeless food and technologies that alter genes in ways that deviate from the natural order of things, such as genetic modification technologies, genome editing technologies, radiation breeding technologies using heavy ion beams and “food tech”.