Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
## (2) Promotion of Shokuiku (food and nutrition education), conservation and succession of WASHOKU

The Third Basic Plan for Shokuiku Promotion for five years between FY2016 and FY2020 was prepared in March 2016.

O Shokuiku programs, including the practice of the Japanese dietary pattern and the experience of agricultural, forestry and fishery activities, represent initiatives to promote consumers' understanding about food and nutrition, and the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector and expand the consumption of domestically produced agricultural products.

Given the diversification of food and changes in family environments, it is important to deepen citizens' interest in and understanding about "WASHOKU" for the protection and succession of "WASHOKU" through the promotion of Japanese school lunches and regional Shokuiku activities.

## Practices of which you have become more conscious through your participation in agricultural, forestry and fishery activities

## Eating Japanese food products as much as possible

Trying to refrain from leaving food on plates

Trying to eat balanced meals through such practices as taking in more vegetables Including seasonal food materials (vegetables, wild vegetables, fish, seasonings, etc.) into daily meals

Being aware that there are food products peculiar to a region where I live or was born

Source: MAFF surveys

## "WASHOKU" school lunches on "WASHOKU" Day

On "WASHOKU" Day on November 24, 2015, about 2,000 elementary and junior high schools implemented a "WASHOKU" school lunch program to include plain soup with stock into school lunches and think about "WASHOKU" culture.

Taimei Elementary School in Tokyo's Chuo-ku served a school lunch including a soup with tofu soybean cake and vegetables in five colors, grilled Spanish mackerel with starchy sauce made from multiple beans, and young sardines mixed with vegetables and sesame vinegar sauce. After the lunch, a "WASHOKU" cook provided a Shokuiku class under

After the lunch, a "WASHOKU" cook provided a Shokuiku class under the theme of "Let's understand the wonder of "WASHOKU" by tasting Pupils deepened their understanding of soup stock as the base of "WASHOKU" by tasting a "WASHOKU" school lunch and trying soup with stock they made.

"WASHOKU" school lunch scene

## 4 Ensuring food safety and consumer confidence

## (1) Efforts for improving food safety

☐ Risk management based on scientific evidence targeting throughout the food chain, from production to consumption, is essential to improve food safety.

O While the GAP (Good agricultural practice) has diffused for the production stage, only some 20% of GAP initiatives meet the MAFF guidelines. In the manufacturing stage, the gradual introduction of the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) system is promoted.

Source: MAFF

Trends of GAP-introducing agricultural production areas

Source: MAFF surveys
## 5 Food industry trends

Of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products, 70% are used in the food industry, which is the largest destination for domestically produced agricultural, forestry and fisheries products. Of raw materials (agricultural, forestry and fisheries products and imported processed food), domestically produced agricultural, forestry and fisheries products account for 70%.

The food industry must grab food-related markets around the world to sustain its development. To this end, food manufacturers have accelerated their overseas expansion. The number of their overseas subsidiaries and their sales are increasing.

## Food industry’s raw material procurement sources

( Breakdown of domestically produced agricultural, forestry and fisheries products by use )

Trend of food manufacturers' overseas subsidiaries and sales

Source: METI, “Survey of Overseas Business Activities”

Source: MAFF, “2011 Input-Output Tables for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Related Industries”
The number of certificates of business plans approved under the AFFrinnovation Act for agriculture, forestry and fisheries workers to undertake processing and direct sales of their products has exceeded 2,100, indicating a steady increase. Of the total, vegetables account for the largest share of 32%, followed by 18% for fruits, 12% for rice and 12% for livestock products.

To promote AFFrinnovation, the government supports the expansion of sales channels after business launching and relevant regional community initiatives. AFFrinnovation planners are distributed throughout Japan.

O MAFF promotes collaboration between the medical care, welfare, food and agricultural sectors to explore new domestic markets.

Trends of the number of certificates of business plans approved under the AFFrinnovation Act (As of March 31, 2016)

Source: MAFF

## Business diversification through AFFrinnovation using crop rotation

Hatsuyoshi Oka, who represents Yatsushiro Nanohana Farm 987 in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, has combined rape, rice, rush and whole crop silage to develop a two-year four-crop rotation system, processing rush into tatami mats and developing and selling dry rush as an interior accessory.

Under an initiative using rotation crops for AFFrinnovation, he has used rape for producing honey and rape oil, brewed Japanese sake rice wine in cooperation with a local sake brewer. He also started vinegar production after meeting with a vinegar maker when visiting Tokyo to sell sake. Oka has thus developed various goods to diversify his business.

Oka has also launched a community-building initiative using rape blossoms. He plans to open a farming school to nurture his successors.

People of Yatsushiro

Nanohana Farm 987

## Regional community initiative for AFFrinnovation

The Food Valley Tokachi Council in Tokachi Region of Hokkaido Prefecture consists of local governments, relevant groups, financial institutions, universities and research laboratories to take advantage of agriculture and food as the region’s strength to promote the region.

The council has gathered momentum to develop new products and launch new businesses through Tokachi food matching services and human resources development. It has promoted public relations activities, making progress in improving the awareness of regional products and expanding their sales channels.

The council has concluded a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Fujicco Co., under which regional agricultural cooperatives, research institutes and food processors have cooperated with Fujicco in developing new goods using syrup extracted from soybean leaves and haulms. It plans to exploit research achievements for improving added value in Tokachi.
## Priority theme Structural changes in agriculture

Japan’s total agricultural output has remained above 8 trillion yen since 2001. The total farmland area slowly declined in recent years, standing at 4.496 million hectares in 2015. Dilapidated farmlands in 2014 aggregated 276,000 hectares. The number of core persons mainly engaged in farming has followed a downward trend. Farms have made progress in their expansion.

## Total agricultural output trends

Japan’s total agricultural output reached 11.7 trillion yen in 1984 before following a downward trend with a slight recovery seen in some years. Since 2001, the annual total output has remained above 8 trillion yen.

Among product categories, vegetable output increased by 200 billion yen from 1984 to 2014, while rice, livestock and fruit output declined. In particular, rice output decreased by 2.5 trillion yen due mainly to price drops for 2014 output. Prices for 2015 output have increased as the supply-demand balance for table rice has tightened.

Of the total agricultural output, rice accounted for the largest share in 1984, followed by livestock and vegetables. In 2014, however, livestock captured the largest share, followed by vegetables and rice, indicating a major ranking change.

## Farmland area trends

The total farmland area in 2015 decreased 22,000 hectares from the previous year to 4.496 million hectares, continuing a slow downward trend in recent years. Dilapidated farmland that has been concluded by municipal governments and agricultural committees as unavailable for cultivation totaled 276,000 hectares in 2014, including 132,000 hectares available for restoration.

Total agricultural output and agricultural production income trends

Source: MAFF, “Agricultural Production Income Statistics”

Farmland area trends

Source: MAFF, “Statistics on Cultivated Land and Planted Area”
The number of farms in 2015 stood at 1.377 million, continuing a downward trend. However, the number of corporation farms has increased steadily year by year. In the future, more farms should be incorporated.

Farms broken down by size group indicate that the number of farms in 2015 increased from 10 years earlier for 50-hectare or larger farms in Hokkaido and for 5-hectare or larger farms in other prefectures, with a remarkable rise being seen in the number of 100-hectare or larger farms in Hokkaido and 20-hectare or larger farms in other prefectures, indicating progress in farm size expansion.

The number of core persons mainly engaged in farming in 2015 came to 1.754 million, continuing a downward trend. Their breakdown by age group indicates that those aged 65 or more accounted for 65% of the total number, those aged 40 or less capturing 10%, showing a remarkable imbalance. Particularly, rice farmers have been aging.

Changes in the number of farms

Source: MAFF, “Census of Agriculture and Forestry”

Changes in the number of corporation farms by organization category

Changes in the number of farms by size group

(Hokkaido)

(Unit: farms)

2005	2015
Change (%)
Less than 5 ha	16,312	10,195	-37.5
5 ha or more, less than 20 ha	20,553	13,197	-35.8
20 ha or more, less than 50 ha	12,608	11,570	-8.2
50 ha or more, less than 100 ha	4,438	4,584	3.3
100 ha or more	705	1,168	65.7

Source: MAFF, “Census of Agriculture and Forestry”

(Other prefectures)

(Unit: farms)

2005	2015
Change (%)
Less than 5 ha	1,899,393	1,262,058	-33.6
5 ha or more, less than 20 ha	51,634	64,428	24.8
20 ha or more, less than 50 ha	3,119	8,107	159.9
50 ha or more, less than 100 ha	459	1,537	234.9
100 ha or more	159	422	165.4

Source: MAFF, “Census of Agriculture and Forestry”

Core persons mainly engaged in farming by farming type and age group

Source: MAFF, “2015 Census of Agriculture and Forestry”
## (2) Wheat, soybeans

Japan’s wheat-planted area has leveled off in recent years. As the development and introduction of special wheat varieties for bread and noodles have made progress, products using domestically produced wheat have increased. Given that the stabilization and improvement of yield and quality is a challenge for wheat, which is vulnerable to moisture damage, the government promotes thorough drainage measures and fertilizing management.

Japan’s soybean-planted area increased 10,000 hectares from the previous year. Planted areas of farms that plant soybeans on 5 hectares or more accounted for 67% of the total soybean-planted area, indicating that business farmers’ soybean production expanded. Given that slumping yields and price fluctuations depending on crop conditions are challenges, the government considers initiatives to improve yield and stabilize transactions, and promotes stable, systematic production meeting requests from users.

Changes in wheat-planted area and wheat production, etc.

Source: MAFF, “Crop Statistics”

Changes in soybean-planted area and soybean production

## (3) Vegetables, fruits

The total vegetable planting area has followed a moderate downward trend in Japan. In response to growing demand for processed food products, the government promotes initiatives to reduce vegetable production costs through the introduction of vegetable varieties for processing and manufacturing uses, and mechanized integrated production systems and to increase domestically produced products' share of vegetables for processing and manufacturing uses.

The total fruit production area has followed a moderate downward trend. The government promotes the acceleration of switching to superior items or varieties and the introduction of low-cost, labor-saving cultivation know-how for stable production and supply of fruits for processing and manufacturing uses toward stable production of high-quality fruit in response to changes in demand from consumers.

Changes in the total vegetable-planted area and production volume

Sources: MAFF, “Statistics on Production and Shipment of Vegetable,” “Food Balance Sheet”

Changes in the total fruit tree-planted area and fruit production volume

Sources: MAFF, “Statistics on Cultivated Land and Planted Area,” “Food Balance Sheet”
## (4) Livestock products

While the number of livestock farms has decreased in Japan due mainly to livestock farmers' growing retirement as they age and shortages in their successors, the number of animals per farm has increased.

In FY2015, after a butter production fall in the previous year, the government implemented measures to enhance raw milk production infrastructure, used the state trade system to import butter in periods and forms meeting demand and shared supply and demand outlook information with retail stores.

O Beef calf prices rose as calf births declined due to a drop in cows for breeding.

O It is important to promote livestock farming clusters in which distributers, processors, municipal governments and other relevant parties cooperate and collaborate to promote dairy farming and beef cattle production and improve the profitability of livestock farming.

Changes in the numbers of livestock farms and animals per farm

Number of livestock farms	Number of animals per farm
2005	2015	2005	2015
Dairy cattle	Hokkaido	8,830	6,680	97.1	118.6
Excluding Hokkaido	18,800	11,000	42.4	52.6
Beef cattle	89,600	54,400	30.7	45.8
Cows for breeding	76,200	47,200	8.2	12.3
Fattening cattle	13,600	8,210	52.7	90.2
Dairy cattle for beef	7,910	5,320	132.6	155.6
Pigs	8,880	5,270	1,095.0	1,809.7
Layers ( $ \times $ 1000)	4,090	2,560	33.5	52.2
Broilers ( $ \times $ 1000)	2,652	2,380	38.6	57.0

Source: Prepared by MAFF based on “Statistics on Livestock”

Notes:

1) Data for pigs and layers for 2005 are from 2004 as the survey was suspended in 2005.

2) Data for pigs, layers and broilers for 2015 are from 2014 as the survey was suspended in 2015.

## Livestock farming cluster to raise the roughage self-sufficiency ratio, and milk volume and quality through meadow improvement

The Takinoue livestock farming cooperative in Monbetsu County, Hokkaido Prefecture, though realizing excellent milk production volume and quality, found a problem in that there were far more weeds in meadows than expected. In FY2014, therefore, the cooperative formed a Takinoue agriculture promotion council along with local agricultural cooperatives, the Hokuren Federation of agricultural cooperatives, the regional agriculture extension office and other relevant regional organizations to launch a livestock farming cluster to realize a target roughage self-sufficiency ratio in three years through meadow vegetation improvement. In February, the cooperative prepared a meadow vegetation improvement manual in a bid to cut feed costs by raising the roughage self-sufficiency ratio, to increase milk production volume and quality by improving roughage, and to expand earnings for farming families.

Takinoue agriculture promotion council
## 5 Promotion of environmental policy such as responses to climate change

In December 2015, the 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted the Paris Agreement as a new international framework replacing the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in and after 2020. It is the first ever unbiased agreement in which all countries take part.

To systematically proceed with climate change adaptation measures in response to effects that cannot be addressed by mitigation measures alone, the government assesses future effects, conducts research and development of adaptation technologies and promotes adaptation measures responding to emerging effects including farm product quality deterioration.

• Switching to late-maturing citrus

• Introducing good-coloring apple varieties

Source: MAFF

6 Agriculture-related organizations supporting agriculture

Major agriculture-related organizations to support farmers include agricultural cooperatives, agricultural committees, agricultural mutual relief organizations and land improvement districts that conduct operations contributing to the stability and development of farming and to stable food supply.

In April, an act to revise the Agricultural Cooperatives Act took effect to integrally reform agricultural cooperatives, agricultural committees and agricultural production legal persons to develop agriculture into a growth sector by paving the way for business farmers to operate more proactively.

## Legal framework to reform agricultural cooperatives

## Revisions to the Agricultural Cooperatives Act

[Pursuing agricultural cooperatives selected by farmers] Agricultural cooperatives must not force farmers to use cooperative business projects.

☑ [Central Union] Shifting to a general incorporated association to represent opinions of cooperatives and conduct comprehensive coordination. The Central Union’s compulsory audit on cooperatives is abolished. Instead, certified public accountants’ audit is required.

Promoting optimum utilization of farmlands, etc. (Farmland concentration/intensification for business farmers, preventing and eliminating idled farmlands, promoting new entrants in farming)

The public election of agricultural committee members is replaced with their appointment by the municipal mayor subject to approval by the municipal assembly.

Creating committee members for promoting optimization of farmland utilization

Prefectural and national network organizations are designated to support agricultural committees
Priority theme	As the population declines and ages in Japan, a movement of “coming back to rural areas” is seen, with rural areas’ values rediscovered. In the meantime, residents in rural areas are carrying out various initiatives to take advantage of local resources for invigorating their communities.
Regional revitalization movement

## Regional revitalization and rural invigoration

As population declines and ages in rural areas with the base for the sustainable development of agriculture, agricultural production and local community activities are seen to grow more vulnerable and lead to the devastation of local resources. As local government officials in charge of agriculture, forestry and fisheries are decreasing along with relevant spending, how to secure rural agriculture administration has become a challenge.

In such a situation, rural residents should voluntarily form consensus on future pictures of their communities and promote initiatives to realize those pictures. Multiple rural communities are expected to cooperate in maintaining local resources and increasing added value on agricultural products.

Population and aging trend and outlook in rural areas

Sources: Estimated by MAFF based on MIC, “Population Census;” National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, “Estimates of Japan’s Future Population by Region (estimated in March 2013)”

## A regional invigoration initiative taking advantage of local resources

In Mimata, Kanagicho, Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture, where the population has declined and aged, local residents have taken the initiative to utilize local resources, including food materials, for regional invigoration.

The Mimata yugenosato-zukuri (spa village building) committee established by local residents in 2011 paid attention to the local specialty of ancient black rice and considered cultivating, processing and commercializing the variety. It held workshops and other events for all local households to decide on product names and their package designs. The committee founded Mimata Yume Eight as a non-profit organization, which has successfully commercialized a shochu product into which black rice is processed. Along with a tofu product into which black soybeans, another local specialty, have been processed, the shochu is sold as a black food material at Mimata Hot Springs. The promotion of branding has led income for farmers cultivating black rice and soybeans to triple, achieving regional AFFrinnovation by taking advantage of local resources.

(Mimata was selected in the 2nd Discover Countryside Treasures in Japan)

Shochu made from black rice and tofu made from black soybeans
## Rural invigoration vision

As relevant government agencies promoted the deepening of regional revitalization, MAFF created a rural invigoration plan titled “Building Attractive Rural Areas” along with a basic plan in March 2015. The vision features three pillars -- (1) creating jobs in rural areas, (2) establishing higher connection between rural communities, and (3) strengthening connections between rural and urban residents. Under the vision, MAFF promotes rural invigoration measures and backs up local practices.

Creating jobs in rural areas

[Making a “regional economic cycle” network]

[Activating social businesses]

[Activating businesswomen and very experienced people]

Enhancing links between rural communities

[Concentrating functions in hubs and enhancing their networking]

[Rural livelihood supporting Initiatives]

Strengthening connections between rural and urban residents

[Increasing lifestyle choices]

## Source: MAFF

[Links between urban and rural communities]

*This is a concept of an attractive rural area. Facilities may be variously located depending on local conditions.

## A rural invigoration initiative taking advantage of vacant houses in hilly and mountainous areas

In Kamikawa Town located almost at the center of Hyogo Prefecture, residents are aging and population is declining as is the case with other hilly and mountainous areas. A major challenge there is how to use vacant houses scattered around the town. It has promoted an initiative to invigorate the local community by accepting urban residents willing to live in vacant houses.

In 2010, contractors and local resident representatives established a “Kamikawa rural life promotion association” to promote urban residents’ moves to the town through rural life experience events, vacant house tours and vacant house restoration in cooperation with the town’s vacant house bank and vacant land management.

The association has hosted vacant house restoration workshops in which urban volunteers have learned vacant house refurbishment and repair know-how from local professionals. As a result, a total of 140 people moved to the town by FY2014 to live in refurbished vacant houses. Some of them opened their own shops. The association also opened two rural life experience centers using vacant houses and 11 shops (including six rural exchange centers) using vacant houses or shops. As a result, the annual number of visitors to the town reached about 700,000, contributing along with the increase in new residents to revitalizing the town.

(The initiative won an examination committee chair prize in the 13th All Right! Nippon Grand Prix)

A vacant house restoration workshop