Japan: Century 21 - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 350

that once provided part-time employment to farm-
ers and propped up rural economies.
Y oung people want city jobs and small towns are
devoid of youth. As one farmer bemoans: “Japanese
agriculture has no money , no youth, no future.”
Abandoned, overgrown plots are a common sight.
The number of farmers dropped from 12.2 million
in 1960 to 2.2 million in 2004.
Rice production has fallen 20 percent in the last
10 years, and Japan now imports 61 percent of its
food. For example, most of the country' s soybeans
come from the United States and Brazil.
People are eating less rice. For instance, rice, fish,
pickled vegetables, and miso soup for breakfast are
being replaced by cereal, eggs, and toast. People are
eating more meat, bread, and dairy products.
T Traditional meals are being replaced by packaged
instant noodles and McDonald' s and other fast
foods. Changing diets have resulted in Japanese
who are taller and heavier than before. In addition,
heart disease and cancer are on the rise.
Agricultural output has declined drastically; the
only food items that are produced domestically in
sufficient quantities are rice (enough for the new
diet), eggs, and vegetables such as onions and
cucumbers.
Domestically produced foods are becoming very ex-
pensive. A box of cherries can sell for as much as
US$140.
Government subsidies pay for surplus crops. Rice
is six times more expensive to grow in Japan than
elsewhere, yet it is a tradition supported by the gov-
ernment, which also prevents imports of cheaper
Japonica rice from places such as California.
The countryside is viewed as a repository of
pristine national values such as harmony and com-
munity spirit. These emotional ties have helped
make agriculture sacred in Japanese politics.
Pressure from trading partners and global treaties has
forced the Japanese government to negotiate trade
agreements with a variety of nations such as Mexico,
Thailand, and China. Consequently , a growing num-
ber of farm imports are being allowed into the coun-
try . Stiffest competition comes from China.

share of the shiitake mushroom market. At one point,
the government put a tariff on Chinese mushrooms and
China retaliated by putting tariffs on Japan' s machinery
exports.
As family farms close, a new phenomenon is appear-
ing in the countryside—the factory farm. For example, a
subsidiary of Daiei Inc., one of Japan' s largest supermar-
kets, has opened a factory farm to produce 20,000 pigs a
year to be sold in Daiei markets.
Lettuce is the most commonly factory-farmed veg-
etable. Grown under artificial light in closed, bacteria-
free environments, it is grown hydroponically (in water)
and inputs are computer-regulated. One factory can pro-
duce 1.6 million heads of lettuce a year!
Japan hopes to boost its agricultural sector by produc-
ing and exporting “luxury crops” such as square water-
melons, high-quality apples, grapes, pears, persimmons,
and green tea. Fruits are exported to Taiwan and large
amounts of green tea are sent to Europe.
The government is encouraging farms like this to
make the country more competitive in an increasingly
globalized marketplace. Currently , it is cutting subsidies
to smaller farms in order to encourage mergers into
larger corporate entities. Still, there were only a few more
than 1,200 factory farms in 2000—a mere 0.34 percent of
all farms. The fate of the family farm is yet to be decided.

FOUNDATIONS OF INDUSTRIAL JAPAN
The foundation of modern Japan' is economic growth is
manufacturing. From the mid-1800s, the economy re-
sponded to external trading pressures as well as a desire
to become a military power. Factories were built in the
coastal zone from T Tokyo to Osaka. These specialized in
iron and steel production, shipbuilding, and textile man-
ufacturing. In the period prior to World War II, indus-
trial expansion was based on links between business and
government, cheap labor, large numbers of small busi-
nesses, and an improved infrastructure. Japan became
known for its cheap but poor quality goods. This indus-
trial base was devastated in World War II.
Rebuilding and restructuring of Japanese industry
and infrastructure began with the infusion of American
capital. Following the reconstruction of heavy industries
such as steel and chemicals in the 1950s, Japan diversi-
fied into shipbuilding, automobile production, and light
manufacturing.
Japan' s industry has always relied on imported raw
materials. In fact, Japan has the most limited natural re-
source base of any of the world' s major industrial powers.

In the early 2000s, Japanese farmers were shocked to
see cheap Chinese vegetables stocking supermarket
shelves. T Tomatoes, onions, eggplant, and garlic grown in
China can be sold for far less than the same Japanese pro-
duce. The Chinese have already garnered a 40 percent