Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Information 

Bulletin 

Number 129

October 2014

United States Department of Agriculture

Japan’s Agri-Food Sector and 

the Trans-Pacific Partnership

John Dyck and Shawn S. Arita
Economic Research Service 

www.ers.usda.gov

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Dyck, John and Shawn S. Arita. Japan’s Agri-Food Sector and the Trans-Pacific 

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October 2014.

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United States Department of Agriculture

Economic 

Research 

Service

Economic

Information 

Bulletin 

Number 129

October 2014

Abstract

Japan’s agriculture has been inward oriented, protected by trade barriers from foreign 

competition. Even though the share of Japan’s food consumption provided by Japanese 

production has gradually fallen, Japan’s farm sector remains the second-largest among 

the countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Japan’s food industry is 

increasingly integrated with TPP economies, although the TPP share of Japan’s agricultural imports has fallen over time. The proposed TPP agreement would lead to more 

agricultural exports to Japan from TPP partners, likely dominating the total agricultural 

trade impact of such an agreement. Despite potentially large import increases, especially in the rice, beef, and dairy sectors, the proposed agreement would only marginally reduce Japan’s output. Intrinsic strengths of Japanese agricultural production and 

constraints to the growth of supply in the rest of the TPP countries may limit the impact 

of the agreement on Japan’s agriculture. Nevertheless, U.S. exports would be well positioned to meet Japan’s new import demand.

Keywords: Japan, trade, trade agreement, trade liberalization, Trans-Pacific 

Partnership, TPP, Pacific Rim, Japanese agriculture, Japanese agri-food sector, product 

differentiation

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the reviews by Linda Calvin, Andrew Muhammad, Abigail 

Okrent, Mary Burfisher, and John Wainio of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic 

Research Service; Elizabeth Autry, Jason Carver, Jeffrey Jones, David Miller, and 

Tani Lee of USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service; Jason Hafemeister, USDA, Office of 

the Chief Economist; Wyatt Thompson, University of Missouri; and Jeff Luckstead, 

University of Arkansas. The authors also thank David Marquardt, USDA/ERS, for the 

map design and Priscilla Smith, Dale Simms, and Cynthia A. Ray, USDA/ERS, for 

editorial and design support.

John Dyck and Shawn S. Arita

Japan’s Agri-Food Sector and 

the Trans-Pacific Partnership
ii

Japan’s Agri-Food Sector and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, EIB-129

Economic Research Service/USDA

Contents

Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Japan’s Agriculture and Food Industries in the Context of the 

TPP Partner Economies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Japan’s Agricultural Support and Protection: 

Border Measures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Japan’s Agricultural Support and Protection: 

Domestic Measures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Aggregate Impact of Japan’s Agricultural Policies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Japan’s Trade in Agricultural Products: Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Japan’s Trade in Agricultural Products: Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Future Changes in Japan’s Agricultural and Food Trade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Changes in Japan’s Agricultural Trade Possible With a TPP Agreement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
United States Department of Agriculture

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providing timely information on economic and policy 

issues related to agriculture, 

food, the environment,and 

rural America. www.ers.usda.gov

Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Information 

Bulletin 

Number 129

October 2014

United States Department of Agriculture

Japan’s Agri-Food Sector and 

the Trans-Pacific Partnership

John Dyck and Shawn S. Arita

October 2014

Find the full report at 

www.ers.usda.gov/

publications/eib-economic-informationbulletin/eib129

John Dyck and Shawn S. Arita

Japan’s Agri-Food Sector and the 

Trans-Pacific Partnership

What Is the Issue?

Japan is in negotiations to establish the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with the United 

States and 10 other countries. Within the TPP trade zone, Japan’s agriculture and food market 

are second in size only to those of the United States. Japan’s agriculture is inward oriented, 

although its large livestock and poultry sector depends on imports of feedstuffs. Japanese agricultural exports are relatively small. Japan’s food industry, in contrast, is increasingly outward 

oriented, focused on global markets, and already an investor in the economies of the Pacific 

Rim. With its current high barriers to some agricultural imports, access to Japan’s market is an 

important part of the proposed trade agreement for the U.S. agricultural sector. 

What Did the Study Find?

Japan imposes a varied set of border measures (tariffs, safeguards, tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), state 

trading, markups, variable duties, sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, and other nontariff 

barriers) and maintain domestic agricultural support measures for major commodities. Producer 

support and welfare reduction indices suggest that Japan’s policies make its agricultural market 

the most distorted among TPP countries. Japan’s imports of agricultural products from the TPP 

negotiating partners have grown more slowly than its imports in general over the last two decades. 

In part, this has been because developing countries enjoy lower tariffs on some imports into 

Japan, and Japan has negotiated bilateral preferential trade agreements with a number of countries 

that give those countries lower tariffs on some imports into Japan. 

The proposed TPP agreement (interpreted as an elimination of tariffs and TRQs on all agricultural products, only for TPP partners) would lead to larger agricultural imports by Japan from 

TPP partners, with the largest gains accruing to U.S. exporters. This increase in trade to Japan 

would likely dominate the increase in imports by all TPP countries.

Tariff reduction or elimination on imports from TPP partner countries will lower the prices of 

imported beef, oranges, rice, milk powder, and butter, leading to opportunities for TPP exporters 

to increase their share in Japan’s market and, in some cases, to an increase in Japanese consumption. U.S. producers are well-suited to meet the needs of Japan's consumers. Both intrinsic 

strengths of Japanese agricultural production and constraints to supply growth in the rest of the 

TPP countries are likely to limit the impact of full tariff elimination on Japan’s agriculture. 
Strengths of Japan’s agriculture include its ability to provide some differentiated products favored by 

consumers, such as wagyu beef and short-grain rice, very fresh products, and products labeled as produced 

in Japan. Supply constraints among countries exporting to Japan are likely for products such as medium- and 

short-grain japonica rice and certain cuts of meat widely favored in Asian markets, and TPP could increase 

commodity prices of these and other products in exporting countries. 

How Was the Study Conducted?

Drawing on various sources of trade, production, tariff, and policy data, the report describes Japan’s agriculture 

and food sectors and compares these sectors across TPP partners. Japan’s support and protection for agricultural production is summarized using commodity policy reviews from an existing series of U.S. Department of 

Agriculture reports from the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)/

Tokyo, Japanese Government reports and data, World Trade Organization (WTO) reports and data, and other 

sources. The resulting profile of Japan’s agri-food market is then used to examine the implications of the proposed 

agreement. The analysis uses quantitative results from a general equilibrium model published in the ERS report, 

Agriculture in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but does not develop additional, new quantitative analysis of a potential agreement. These results are discussed and compared with Japanese Government estimates.

www.ers.usda.gov
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Japan’s Agri-Food Sector and 

the Trans-Pacific Partnership 

Introduction

Japan is in negotiations to establish the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with 11 other confirmed 

partners: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the 

United States, and Vietnam. The TPP negotiations began in March 2010 and convened in successive rounds at locations throughout the Pacific Rim. They were scheduled to conclude in 2013 

but continue as of 2014. The leaders of TPP member countries aspire to achieve a high-quality, 

“21st century” agreement that will serve as a model for addressing both traditional and emerging 

trade issues. Objectives include the elimination of tariffs and some nontariff measures among the 

members and the strengthening of ties among some of the world’s major agricultural importers, 

exporters, and producers. 

Japan is a key agricultural market within the proposed TPP trade area. Its agricultural sector 

and food industry are second in size only to the United States within the TPP region. Most of 

Japan’s agriculture is inward oriented, and domestic agricultural products are expensive by world 

standards. Japan’s food industry, in contrast, is increasingly outward oriented, focused on global 

markets, and already active in the economies of TPP partner countries through investments in 

farming, distribution and storage, food manufacture, and retailing in those countries. The TPP 

negotiations deal in part with Japan’s web of protection for agriculture, including tariff-rate quotas 

with state trading and markups. TPP liberalization of trade barriers and a greater integration of 

TPP economies would affect Japan’s agricultural production and consumption and have a large 

impact on agricultural trade; according to the USDA/Economic Research Service’s computable 

general equilibrium (CGE) model, changes in Japan's imports will dominate those in the rest of 

the TPP group (Burfisher et al., 2014). 

This report surveys Japan’s agricultural and food sectors as well as its food consumption in the 

context of the TPP countries. A review of trade and domestic policies that currently support Japanese 

farming and constrain import access identifies various types of support by commodity category. The 

report provides an overview of the structure of Japan’s agricultural imports and looks at the sources 

of imports over time, focusing on imports from the TPP partners. Potential changes in future food 

demand and import demand are assessed under a possible comprehensive TPP scenario. Finally, 

two quantitative estimates of the effects of a complete liberalization of agricultural tariffs within the 

proposed TPP agreement are presented and discussed. 
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Japan’s Agriculture and Food Industries in the 

Context of the TPP Partner Economies

Japan’s agricultural sector represents a large share (15 percent) of the total agricultural value added 

within the TPP economies (table 1). This is in part because of high prices in some protected parts 

of Japan’s agricultural sector. It also reflects the quality of agricultural outputs and the large share of 

output that comes from the high-value animal and horticultural product industries. Integration of Japan 

in the TPP zone, involving changes in the large agricultural sector and the even larger food sector, thus 

has the potential to bring substantial change to agricultural trade in the proposed TPP zone.

Japan’s agricultural trade is significant. Japan’s Government calculates that, on a calorie basis, 61 

percent of Japan’s food consumption is imported. Using the yen value of consumption, however, 

most of Japan’s supply (67 percent) originates in Japan (Government of Japan/Ministry of 

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Monthly Statistics). 

Japan’s agricultural production is used to supply the domestic market—Japan’s agricultural exports 

are less than 4 percent of the sales value of domestic agricultural products. Japanese agriculture 

uses both imported inputs—such as feedstuffs—and domestic inputs. However, agricultural imports 

supply a large share of Japan’s food demand, in addition to domestic production. 

Japan’s land base for agriculture is small compared to that of some other TPP countries. Arable land 

in Japan accounts for just 1.4 percent of the TPP total (table 1). The mountainous terrain limits cropping to relatively small plains, which also are the sites for large cities. The mountains are forested, 

and there is relatively little grassland for animals to graze on. 

For centuries, the Japanese ate a largely vegetarian diet, based on rice, other grains, soybeans, 

vegetables, and seafood. Over the last 60 years, rice consumption and production fell, production of 

other grains declined precipitously, and imported wheat became a large and stable part of the diet. 

At the same time, livestock and fruit production increased. Animal production has long been based 

on imported feedstuffs; Japan produces little or no feed corn and does not crush domestic soybeans 

for soymeal. Both Japan’s production and consumption now include a large animal product component, including meat, eggs, and milk. In 2011, rice accounted for about 22 percent of agricultural 

output value, animal products for 31 percent, vegetables for another 26 percent, and fruits and all 

other products for the final 21 percent (Government of Japan/Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and 

Fisheries, 2013 Yearbook).

Although Japan’s arable land is divided into small farm holdings, usually less than 2 hectares (ha), 

or 5 acres, in size, Japan’s agricultural marketing chain is highly concentrated and tightly organized 

in many respects (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (USDA/ERS), topics 

page, Japan subtopic, 2014). Most farmers are members of a single cooperative federation (Japan 

Agriculture, or JA), which centralizes procurement of inputs and marketing of outputs (Government 

of Japan/Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 2013 Yearbook, 2013; Hayami, 1988). 

Large retail and wholesale corporations purchase and distribute much of Japan’s agricultural output. 

The supply chain for food in Japan is technologically advanced, large scale, and in some respects 

very efficient. Thus, foreign competitors for Japan’s food market actually interact with a small 

number of large Japanese firms rather than a large number of small farmers. 
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Japan’s food consumption has shifted from home production toward food prepared outside the home, 

although the share of food prepared at home is still over 40 percent. Restaurants, cafeterias, and 

ready-to-eat meals available in supermarkets and convenience stores account for an increasing share 

of food expenditures. Restaurants include many small family businesses as well as very large chains, 

both for fast food and family dining. The high cost of Japanese agricultural products is offset by efficient use of other inputs and services so that the final cost to consumers, though still high, is closer 

to that for consumers in other TPP countries than farm prices would suggest. For example, Japanese 

producer rice prices were eight times higher than U.S. farmgate prices in 2012, while retail prices 

were four times U.S. prices. 

Food prices in Japan have been basically flat for 20 years, both because farm prices have fallen 

as efficiency has increased and because yen-denominated prices of nonagricultural inputs to 

food production have generally fallen (Government of Japan/Ministry of Internal Affairs and 

Communication, 2014). However, food prices remain high compared to other countries, with 

Japanese households spending over 20 percent of their total expenditures on at-home consumption of 

food-related items (U.S. consumers spent 11 percent of disposable income on food at home in 2012) 

(USDA/ERS, Food Expenditures data product, 2013).

Table 1

Trans-Pacific Partnership country indicators

Population, 2011 Arable land, 2011

Agriculture value 

added, 20081

GDP/person, 2009-

11 average

Millions

Percent 

of total 

TPP

Million 

hectares

Percent 

of total 

TPP

$ billion 

U.S.

Percent 

of total 

TPP

$ U.S., 

PPP2

Australia 22.3 2.8 47.7 16.2 23.9 6.4 40,372

Brunei 0.4 0.05 <.01 0 0.09 0 50,613

Canada 34.5 4.4 43 14.6 27 7.3 39,098

Chile 17.3 2.2 1.3 0.4 6 1.6 16,183

Japan 127.8 16.3 4.3 1.4 55.1 14.8 33,013

Malaysia 28.9 3.7 1.8 0.6 23 6.2 15,177

Mexico 114.8 14.6 25.5 8.7 38.9 10.5 15,357

New Zealand 4.4 0.6 0.5 0.2 7.53 2 30,401

Peru 29.4 3.7 3.7 1.2 8.4 2.3 9,485

Singapore 5.2 0.7 <.01 0 <.01 0 56,458

United States 311.6 39.7 160.2 54.4 161.5 43.4 46,676

Vietnam 87.8 11.2 6.5 2.2 20.2 5.4 3,196

GDP = gross domestic product; TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership; 1 hectare = 2.47 acres.

12008 chosen because it provides the latest data available for Canada and New Zealand. Agriculture value added is the 

revenues from agricultural sales less input costs. 

2PPP is purchasing power parity, a calculation that takes into account price differences among countries that affect how 

much a given income level buys.

3New Zealand agriculture value added in 2008 is from the Government of New Zealand, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Situation and Outlook for New Zealand Agriculture and Forestry, 2011.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, using data from World Bank, World Development Indicators.
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Japan’s food consumption is stagnant in caloric terms, perhaps due to its aging population (fig. 1). 

Japan’s average caloric intake is below that of the other high-income TPP countries, according 

to estimates (fig. 2) (United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, 2013). Declining rice 

consumption has contributed to lower caloric intake, and consumption per person of animal products 

has been steady for over a decade. Vegetable oil consumption, a major source of growth in caloric 

intake in the rest of the world, has also been static in Japan. 

Figure 1

Caloric supply per person per day in Japan for selected categories, 1995-2009

Note: Not all foods are shown; 2009 data are the most recent available. Caloric supply is calculated as food available for 

direct human consumption after accounting for feed use, waste and loss, exports, and stock changes.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, 

FAOSTAT.

Kilocalories

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1995 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Other animal products

Fish and seafood

Milk

Eggs

Meats

Vegetable oils

Other cereals

Rice

Figure 2

Caloric supply per person per day in the TPP countries, 2009

TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Note: Data for Singapore are not available; Brunei is not included because of its small size; 2009 data are the most 

recent available. Caloric supply is calculated as food available for direct human consumption after accounting for feed 

use, waste and loss, exports, and stock changes.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, 

FAOSTAT. 

Kilocalories

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000 U.S.

Canada

Australia

New Zealand

Mexico

Chile

Malaysia

Japan

Vietnam

Peru

J

a

p

a

n
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Japan’s Agricultural Support and Protection: 

Border Measures

At the border, food and agricultural exports to Japan confront a varied set of entry requirements. 

For many goods, passage through the border is relatively easy and inexpensive. Over 20 percent of 

tariff lines in Japan’s tariff schedule have zero tariffs for almost all trade partners (Gibson et al., 

2001). When tariffs are low or zero and regulatory systems that protect trademarks; human, animal, 

and plant safety; and environmental concerns are similar to those in the exporting country, Japan’s 

market is quite open. 

For other commodities, exports to Japan are more difficult. The desire to protect agricultural 

producers from foreign competition is the basis for an overlapping system of import barriers for 

some commodities produced in Japan (table 2):

• Tariffs. The highest tariffs, when there is no quota present, are usually 40 percent or less 

(Government of Japan/Japan Customs, 2014).

• Safeguard tariffs. These are temporary increases in tariffs, applied when trade within a specific 

tariff line increases beyond a certain threshold, or import unit values fall below a threshold level. 

Safeguard mechanisms exist for hundreds of items but not for most of Japan’s agricultural import 

tariff lines (World Trade Organization, Schedules, 2014; WTO, Trade Policy Review, 2013; 

Obara et al., 2003; Obara et al., 2010).

• Tariff-rate quotas (TRQs). Within the quota, tariffs usually range from 0 to 40 percent. Out-ofquota tariff rates are generally set prohibitively high to discourage any trade beyond quota levels 

(WTO, Schedules, 2014; Government of Japan/Japan Customs, 2014). TRQs cover most grain 

and dairy imports, starch imports, and a variety of other commodities.

• State trading. The exclusive right to import quantities within a TRQ is often reserved to a 

government agency or a corporation owned by the Government (Government of Japan/Japan 

Customs, 2014).

• Markups. State trading enterprises are often allowed to charge a markup when they sell goods 

imported within a TRQ into the domestic market (WTO, Schedules, 2014; Fukuda et al., 2002). 

The markups cannot exceed a ceiling level, and, under that level, are calculated to be as high as 

the market will bear.

• Variable duties (for pork, known as the gate price system). For pork and onions, a duty is 

charged that is the difference between a specified price and the import unit value (Government 

of Japan/Japan Customs, 2014; Obara et al., 2003; Ito and Dyck, 2002). If the shipment’s import 

unit value is above the specified price, no duty is charged, except for ad valorem tariffs.

Other nontariff border measures also protect Japan’s producers, consumers, corporations, or environment from injury that could result from imports. Often, these measures also apply to domestic 

market activity. Major categories include:

• Trademark, copyright, and patent protection. This also applies to domestic market activity.
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Table 2

Protection and support for agricultural commodities in Japan

Tariff (simple or 

in-quota)

TRQ (illustrative overquota tariff)

Safeguard 

(Japanspecific)1Markup2Special 

issue

Domestic 

support3

Japan share 

of TPP supply 

quantity 

Percent unless 

otherwise indicated

Percent unless 

otherwise indicated Percent

Beef 38.5 X X 2.7

Butter 35 29.8 + 985 yen/kg X X 3.9

NFDM 0 - 35 21.3 + 396 yen/kg X X 8.3

WMP 30 25.5 + 612 yen/kg X X 1

Whey 0 - 35 29.8 + 425 yen/kg X n/a

Cheese 0 - 40 29.8 X 0.8

Yogurt 21.3 - 35 29.8 + 915 yen/kg X n/a

Pork 4.3 X Gate price X 7.3

Poultry meat 3 - 11.9 5.2

Eggs 17 percent to 51 yen/kg 20.3

Rice, short/ 

medium 0 341 yen/kg X X 74.6

Wheat 0 55 yen/kg X X 0.6

Barley 0 39 yen/kg X X 0.8

Soybeans 0 X 0.2

Corn 0 0

Corn for 

starch 0 Greater of 50 percent or 12 yen/kg 0

Sugar, raw 0 X State trader 

control X 3.8

Sugar, 

refined 21.5 yen/kg

Surcharge 

(62.4 yen/

kg) 

n/a

HFCS Greater of 50 percent or 

25 yen/kg X State trader 

control n/a

Starch 25 119 yen/kg X n/a

Potatoes, 

fresh 4.3 X 7.7

Onions 8.5 Variable 

levy X 15.8

Cabbage 3 X 35.7

Lettuce 3 X 10.5

Carrots 3 X 19.3

Cucumbers 3 X 26.2

Oranges 16/324 X 0

Apples 17 X 10.4

Grapes 7.8/174 X 6.9

Cherries 8.5 X 4

Grapefruit 10 0

Kg = kilogram; n/a = not available; TRQ = tariff-rate quota; TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership; NFDM = nonfat dried milk powder; WMP = whole milk powder; HFCS = high fructose corn syrup.

1Safeguard agreed in a side agreement to the World Trade Organization, Uruguay Round Agreement, 1995. 2Markup is the maximum amount in yen that 

state trading enterprises may add to commodities purchased within a tariff-rate quota, according to Japan’s schedule submitted as part of the Uruguay 

Round Agreement, except for raw sugar, for which the markup is determined by Japan’s Law on Sugar Products. 3For domestic support descriptions, see 

text. 4Tariffs vary by season.

Sources: USDA, Economic Research Service, using Government of Japan, Japan Customs, 2014; USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service, Production, Supply, and Distribution Online database average for 2010-12 (for commodity supply except fruits); and United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, 

FAOSTAT average for 2009-11 (for fruit supply).
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• Labeling requirements. These can include details about the content and origin of products. This 

also applies to domestic market activity.

• Content and process requirements. Such requirements can prevent or limit imports containing 

certain ingredients or properties or that are processed in certain ways. This also applies to 

domestic market activity.

• Sanitary requirements. Controls on imports that pose a risk of human or animal diseases. These 

do not apply to domestic market activities. 

• Phytosanitary requirements. These measures are designed to minimize the risk of plant diseases 

entering on imported products. These do not apply to domestic market activity.

Such measures are subject to international and bilateral agreements with other nations in some 

cases. However, many are unique to Japan, and harmonizing them with the requirements and expectations of other TPP partners could be an outcome of a comprehensive agreement. Japan has faced 

complaints over some import requirements being unreasonable and/or improperly administered, or 

violating international agreements that Japan has endorsed. These complaints, including challenges 

made in the WTO dispute resolution system, accuse Japan of using the requirements as barriers to 

protect Japanese producers (WTO, Dispute settlements, 2014). 

Over time, Japan’s import barriers have been reduced. In negotiations under the General Agreement 

on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), such as those following the Tokyo Round (1973-79), Japan gave up 

its protective barriers erected under the so-called Balance of Payments provision. This culminated 

in 1989 with the agreement to end Japan’s quotas on beef and citrus—an agreement followed by a 

surge in beef trade, likely the most important trade liberalization outcome for Japan to date (Dyck, 

1998). In the Uruguay Round (UR, 1986-94), Japan agreed to eliminate many remaining nontariff 

barriers. This culminated with the change from an absolute quota on rice to a TRQ in 1999 (Dyck 

et al., 1999). Since then, Japan has negotiated lower bilateral tariffs for some of its products in 

economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with Chile, Mexico, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, and other 

countries while still limiting access for sensitive sectors like food grains, beef, pork, dairy, sugar, 

and starch. In addition to these preferential agreements, Japan gives preferential tariff treatment to 

almost all least-developed and less developed countries for some tariff lines.

As part of the UR, Japan agreed to limit its sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements to those 

that could be justified by scientific analyses. Japan is a member of the OIE (World Organization for 

Animal Health), Codex Alimentarius, and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered 

Species) groups, which influence trade measures based on consensus about science-based norms. 

Japan has agreed to abide by WTO dispute resolution when its SPS measures have been successfully challenged. Exporters to Japan have raised concerns about SPS requirements being excessive 

with respect to the actual levels of risk, as with fumigation requirements on cherry imports (to 

avoid codling moth risks) and the prohibition of beef imports from cattle older than 21 months (due 

to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risks). While these two particular cases have been 

partially resolved through the implementation of more risk-based protocols, SPS measures for other 

imported agricultural products continue to be contentious. 
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Japan’s Agricultural Support and Protection: 

Domestic Measures

Japan began to offer increasing levels of support to farmers in the 1960s, as the farm-derived income 

of rural households became inadequate to match the rising standard of living provided by the manufacturing and services sectors. Besides strictly controlling competition from imports through border 

measures, the Japanese Government used various measures to raise farm prices and thus to raise 

farm household income. The fact that almost all farms were part of the JA cooperative system aided 

this centralized control by channeling rice sales through one system. Over time, the high farm prices 

became increasingly onerous to consumers. To help consumers, the Government then bought rice 

from farmers at a high price and sold to consumers at a lower price. However, this meant shifting 

costs from consumers to taxpayers (Hayami, 1988). 

In addition to the rising costs for subsidizing consumers by selling rice to them at a loss, the 

Government also faced the problem of shrinking rice demand. Government stocks bulged with 

rice that it could not sell. In the 1980s, the Government turned to supply controls, buying rice only 

from farmers who agreed to limit their output. Finally, in 1987 the Government stopped raising its 

purchase prices, letting inflation and occasional nominal price decreases bring down the real farm 

price of rice.1 The Government also stopped purchasing rice and reselling it, so that farm production 

went directly into the market, where farmers had to face market prices and competition from other 

farmers. Over time, lower prices and the gradual abandonment of rice land by an aging farm population reduced production (USDA/ERS, topics page, Japan subtopic). 

Japan’s Government still intervenes heavily in the markets for rice and other field crops. Much of 

the domestic intervention ties farm production levels to the receipt of Government support. This is 

explicit for wheat, barley, and soybean production. Farmers receive payments per hectare when these 

crops are planted in place of rice production. In addition, farmers receive fixed payments from the 

Government based on historical planting levels. Finally, high prices for wheat and barley are paid 

by private processing companies in return for access to imported wheat and barley through the state 

trading monopoly. Thus, planting of wheat, barley, and food-use soybeans is encouraged, in place of 

rice production. 

Another program makes payments to farmers when incomes from rice farming fall below a certain 

level, conditional on rice farmers’ cooperation with JA in meeting Government rice production 

limits set at a prefectural level. Other direct payments to rice producers are allocated according 

to historical production levels and thus are decoupled from current production decisions and 

Government rice output goals (Fukuda et al., 2003; Fukuda et al., 2004). 

Interventions in support of other agricultural activities are less pervasive than for grains and 

soybeans, with the exception of inputs for sweetener production, which are tightly managed by the 

Government. Sugar mills are effectively required to purchase domestic beet and cane output from 

farmers at prices that are high by world standards, in order for sweetener companies to be able to 

import raw sugar or corn for high-fructose corn syrup production (domestic output of feedstocks for 

1In 2012, farm prices of rice were about 8 percent lower than in 2004 and about 27 percent lower than in 1991, in 

nominal terms; however, changes in price series make these comparisons approximate at best (Government of Japan/

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Monthly Statistics, various issues).
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sweetener production—sugarcane, sugar beets, potatoes, and sweet potatoes—does not meet Japan’s 

demand) (Fukuda et al., 2002). 

Japan’s large livestock industries receive important domestic support. Japan’s Government ensures 

that the price for milk for manufacturing is kept high through supply management. Dairy farmers 

cooperatively operate a quota system for milk for the fluid market (Obara et al., 2005). The 

Government supports beef production by operating a deficiency payment system when calf prices 

fall below target levels (Obara et al., 2020; WTO, Trade Policy Review, 2013). A price policy 

(varying by prefecture) for swine aims to keep pig prices within a price band (Obara et al., 2003; 

WTO, Trade Policy Review, 2013). 

Japan’s Government offers vegetable and fruit farmers protection against price declines through an 

income support program and, as it does for other farm commodities, subsidizes the premiums, the 

administration, and the reinsurance of hazard insurance for vegetables and fruits. Farmers’ organizations seek to keep total production at levels that will sustain relatively high prices in the market (Ito 

and Dyck, 2002; Ito and Dyck, 2010).
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Aggregate Impact of Japan’s Agricultural Policies

Various measures attempt to quantify the aggregate impact of Japan’s policies on producers and 

consumers. Often, these measurements compare an internal Japanese price to prices at the border 

or to a reference world price. By doing so, they encapsulate the effects of tariffs, nontariff border 

measures, internal taxes and subsidies, and other Government interventions to obtain a net effect on 

market participants. The selection of the prices to use is limited by data availability, and often the 

internal and external prices do not correspond to exactly the same product. This introduces a significant possibility for error. Nevertheless, these indicators have value in approximating the distortions 

that Government policies can bring.

The producer support estimate (PSE) is calculated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation 

and Development (OECD). It calculates the ratio of government support with respect to farm 

production to the total value of farm production. By this measure, Japan’s farmers are the most 

highly supported among the six other countries in the TPP for which the PSE is available, and they 

derive most of their farm income from Government support (fig. 3).

The welfare reduction index (WRI) calculates “the ad valorem tax rate which, if applied uniformly 

across all tradable agricultural commodities in a country, would generate the same ...economic 

welfare loss” as the actual incidence of tariffs and other policy instruments that affect the various 

commodities (Lloyd et al., 2009, p. 421). This measures the aggregate loss in well-being to a country 

as a result of government policies related to agricultural products. In contrast to the PSE, the WRI 

takes into account the price changes affecting consumers as well as those that affect producers as 

a result of tariffs, other border measures, and domestic policies. For the most recent year in which 

the WRI has been calculated, 2011, the index for Japan is 124. This suggests that the net effect 

of Japan’s policies is to tax agricultural goods as a group by more than 100 percent within Japan. 

Figure 3

Producer support estimates (PSEs) for selected TPP markets, 1986-2012

TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Note: PSE is the ratio of government support with respect to farm production to the total value of farm production. 2012 

data are the most recent available.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 

2014. 

Percent

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Australia

Canada

Chile

Japan

Mexico

New Zealand

United States

1986 88 90 92 94 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 10 12
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Japan’s WRI is higher than the same indicator in other TPP countries for which the index is available (fig. 4) (Anderson and Nelgen, 2013).

Figure 4

Welfare Reduction Index (WRI) for Japan and selected TPP markets

TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Note: WRI is the percentage loss in economic welfare due to both border and domestic policy interventions; 2011 

estimates are the most recent available.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using estimates from Updated National and Global Agricultural Trade and 

Welfare Reduction Indexes, 1955 to 2011, Kym Anderson and Signe Nelson, 2013. 

Percent

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Australia

Canada

Chile

Japan

Malaysia

Mexico

New Zealand

United States

Vietnam

1986 88 90 92 94 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 10
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Japan’s Trade in Agricultural Products: Structure

In the post-World War II period, Japan was a large importer of wheat for flour milling but mostly 

imported cotton, rubber, and hides for use in industry. The growth of animal production in the 1960s 

and 1970s was accompanied by a large surge in imports of corn and soybeans for animal feed. In the 

1980s, the textile and leather industries declined as they lost competitiveness against industries in 

developing countries with lower wages, and cotton/hide imports declined accordingly. In the 1990s, 

imports of beef, pork, and poultry meat grew, ending the growth of Japan’s own animal production and the growth in imports of feed inputs. Soybean imports for crushing declined as soymeal 

imports—which, unlike oil, face no tariff—increased, and the crushing industry turned increasingly 

to canola; canola is richer in vegetable oil and less oriented to meal use (USDA/ERS, using Japan’s 

trade data). 

As the imports of input commodities declined or stabilized, total import values were sustained by 

gradually increasing imports of commodities that were more consumer ready: meats and processed 

foods (fig. 5), frozen vegetables and fruits, cheese, wine, and pet food. With population gradually 

shrinking and steadily aging, consumption of agricultural products in Japan is generally stable, but 

likely to decline in the future. 

Consumption of some products, however, remains sensitive to price declines. Beef and oranges, 

among others, appear to fall into this category, with lower prices leading to higher consumption. 

This offers opportunities for market growth that could be filled by imports—in addition to substitution for existing Japanese production (Obara et al., 2010; Mori et al., 2009; Thompson, 2004).

Parts of Japan’s agriculture are less susceptible to substitution by imports than others. Japan’s indigenous cattle bred for draft purposes in rice farming (called wagyu) have been transformed into a meat 

breed that produces beef highly marbled with fat. In part because the cattle need to be fed more 

Figure 5

Commodity composition of Japan’s imports, 1994-2013

Note: Meats include fresh, chilled, frozen, and processed meats and offal. Processed foods include all products in the 

Harmonized System chapters 19-21. Fresh and frozen vegetables and fruits, cheese, wine, and pet food are not 

included in this chart.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using Government of Japan trade data.

Billion yen

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1994 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 10 12

Cereals

Meats

Oilseeds and products

Processed foods
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intensively and for a longer time than cattle in the U.S. system, Japan’s domestic beef costs more 

than imported beef. Consumers are willing to pay more for wagyu beef, which has characteristics 

that beef from other breeds and fattening systems does not offer. The steers and unwanted heifers 

from the dairy herd are also grain fattened (Japan lacks pasture for grass feeding), but the quality of 

Holstein beef does not match that of wagyu. Another cattle group—the progeny of wagyu sires and 

Holstein cows—provides beef that falls between the wagyu and Holstein meat in quality (Obara et 

al., 2010). 

Japan’s dairy industry enjoys some natural protection since it is difficult to import fresh milk for 

drinking without incurring high transportation costs. However, about half of domestic milk output is 

used in the manufacturing of products like butter, powdered milk, and cheese (Obara et al., 2005). 

Unlike wagyu beef, other Japanese animal products such as pork, poultry meat, and eggs are not 

strongly differentiated in quality from world market norms and must compete on price.2 However, 

importing chilled poultry meat and intact eggs entails high transportation costs, which provide a 

natural price buffer for Japanese production. 

Vegetable production has been one of the strongest segments of Japan’s agriculture. Farmers focus 

on taste and appearance. Besides open-field production, Japan’s farms produce vegetables in plasticcovered hoop houses and glass greenhouses. Like wagyu beef production, vegetables are often given 

special attention that results in produce that is differentiated in quality from most imports, and is 

usually fresher. Labeling ensures that consumers know where in Japan the vegetables are grown. 

Domestic prices are generally higher than for imported vegetables (Ito and Dyck, 2002). Japan’s 

substantial fruit production is grown and differentiated similarly (Ito and Dyck, 2010). Japan is selfsufficient in most temperate fruits. Fruit production chiefly aims to fill the fresh market, along with 

exports of apples and pears and a limited amount of other fruits.

2There are some specialty products, like ‘black’ pork (kurobuta), but the volume of such production is small.
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Japan’s Trade in Agricultural Products: Sources 

Japan’s trade in agricultural products has been relatively stable. Import value peaked in 2008, 

because of high world prices for agricultural commodities, and then fell back as prices declined. The 

TPP share of Japan’s imports has been declining; at 57 percent in 1997, it fell to 47 percent in 2013 

(fig. 6). Within the TPP group, the United States, Australia, and Canada are the largest exporters to 

Japan (fig. 7 and fig. 8).

TPP exports to Japan are substantial in all product categories (table 3). The only major category in 

which the share of Japan’s imports supplied by TPP countries has significantly risen since 1995 is 

dairy, in which the TPP share reached 70 percent in recent years. In most other major categories, the 

TPP share has been relatively steady. The TPP share of Japan’s imports is highest in grains, between 

80 and 97 percent over 1995-2013. The TPP share of oilseed imports (chiefly canola and soybeans) 

has always exceeded 70 percent. Other categories in which the TPP share exceeds 50 percent are 

vegetable oils, meats, and fruits/nuts.

Categories in which the TPP share has been falling include processed foods, one of the fastest 

growing categories in Japan’s agricultural trade. The TPP share dropped from 36 percent in the 

1990s to 31 percent in 2011-13 (29 percent in 2013). Imports from China rose greatly, and Korea and 

Thailand also increased their share.

In other categories, actual trade values for imports, in addition to shares, from the TPP have fallen. 

In the large pet food market, imports from Thailand and China have grown while imports from 

the United States and Australia have fallen. Imports of vegetables (fresh, frozen, and dried) from 

TPP countries also fell from the 1990s to 2011-13. Imports from Thailand and a number of smaller 

trading countries have risen, and China has increased its exports of onions, leeks, and dried beans.

Figure 6

Total Japanese agricultural imports, by origin

TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using Government of Japan trade data. 

Billion yen

1994 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 10 12

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

TPP Non-TPP
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Figure 7

Average share of Japan’s total agricultural imports from TPP countries, 2011-13

TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using Government of Japan trade data. 

Australia,

16%

Canada, 

15%

New Zealand, 5%

Mexico, 3%

Malaysia, 4%

Singapore, 2%

Chile,

 2%

Peru, 0%

Vietnam, 1%

United States,

 52% 

Figure 8

Japan's imports from TPP countries, average values, 2011-13 

USA

Grains, meats

Canada

Oilseeds, meats

Mexico

 Meats, 

horticulture products

Peru

Asparagus

Chile

Wine, meats

New Zealand

Dairy, meats

Australia

Meats, grains

Malaysia

Vegetable

 oil

Singapore

Cocoa and 

prepared foods

Vietnam

Coffee

Japan

Brunei*

4.5

15.5

0.8

0.1

0.6

1.5

4.7

1.2

0.6

0.4

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using Government of Japan trade data. 

 Agricultural imports in $ billion U.S. 

TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

*Imports too small to show on map.
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The United States had been the leading country supplying Japan’s agricultural imports for several 

decades (fig. 9). This is partly because of the size and diversity of U.S. agricultural output. However, 

there are other factors that underpin U.S. strength in Japan’s market.

Japan was free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) from 1907 on, and, after significant outbreaks 

in the last 15 years, has sought to regain and keep that status. Thus, Japan accepts beef and pork 

imports only from North America, Oceania, Chile, and those parts of Europe that are FMD-free. 

Figure 9

Country shares of Japan’s agricultural imports, 1994-2013

ASEAN-10 = Association of Southeast Asian Nations, includes Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, 

Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

EU-28 = European Union.

ROW = Rest of world.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using Japan trade data. 

Percent

1994 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 10 12

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

U.S.

China

EU-28

Australia

ASEAN-10

ROW

Table 3

Japan’s imports from Trans-Pacific Partnership partners

Value, average 

2011-13

TPP share of 

Japan’s imports, 

average 2011-13

Change in TPP share,

average 2011-13 compared 

to average 1994-96

Billion yen Percent Percent

All agricultural commodities 2,536 49 -6.3

Selected import categories:

Meats and preparations 640 58 1.7

Grains, unprocessed 598 79 -8.3

Oilseeds and hay (HS ch. 12) 364 78 2.8

Processed foods (HS chs. 19,

 20, 21) 185 31 -10.9

Fruits and nuts 140 53 -1.1

Dairy products 86 70 17.1

Vegetables 53 24 -9.9

TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

HS = Harmonized System, a system of numerical codes for traded goods. 

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, using Government of Japan trade data.
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Imports of uncooked beef and pork from Brazil, Argentina, and other exporting regions are generally not allowed (Obara et al., 2010).

Japanese buyers recognize the quality and consistent availability of U.S. products. Japanese livestock 

and poultry producers have imported mostly U.S. corn for many years, and Japan has long been the 

largest international market for U.S. corn. Japanese flour millers maintain imports of U.S. wheat 

varieties at relatively constant levels, year after year, in part to ensure consistent flour quality. 

Japanese buyers recognize U.S. standards for consumer-ready products (USDA, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, Food Processing Ingredients, 2014). Concepts such as HACCP (hazard analysis and critical 

control points) and GAPs (good agricultural practices) are widely understood and valued in Japan. 

As an early adopter and/or developer of such standards, U.S. agriculture is viewed with respect in 

Japan. U.S. organic standards appear to command similar respect, which opens a growing market 

for U.S. products in Japan. Japan recognizes the U.S. National Organic Program certification as 

equivalent to Japan’s organic certification (Motomura, 2013). 

U.S. transportation networks serve Japan well. Japanese and U.S. firms dedicate very large networks 

of U.S. elevators, rail and barge shipping, port facilities, and container/bulk shipping to supplying 

Japan. Refrigerated and atmosphere-controlled containers provide consistent delivery of products 

that have sufficient shelf-life for profitable sale in Japan. The Pacific U.S. ports are closer to Japan 

than ports in Europe or South America.

People-to-people interactions between U.S. and Japanese agriculture and food industries are longstanding and well developed. The United States is seen as a relatively familiar and friendly environment by Japanese farmers and their purchasing agents. Some Japanese farmers even arrange for their 

own shipments of U.S. corn and alfalfa to ensure the best quality.

Investment in Japan by U.S. firms and in the United States by Japanese firms is widespread. 

Investments span the food and agriculture market from the retail level to the farm level. Corporate 

names such as Cargill, Zennoh (a Japanese cooperative firm that trades in feed grains), 7-11, Coca 

Cola, and McDonald’s are examples of the presence of food and agribusiness firms in both countries. 

However, the U.S. share of the Japanese market has generally declined since the 1990s (see fig. 

9). U.S. shipments are charged the most-favored-nation (MFN) tariff rate for all categories. Some 

competing exporting countries face lower tariffs for some items because Japan gives them developing country tariff status. China, Thailand, Brazil, and Argentina are among major exporting countries that benefit from such reduced tariffs as part of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). 

In some cases, Japan’s EPAs offer still lower tariffs. Non-TPP countries that have EPAs with Japan 

include Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Switzerland, and India. Japan is also negotiating an 

EPA with the European Union.

U.S. labor costs are high relative to some other leading agricultural exporting countries, such as 

Thailand. This affects fruit and vegetable trade, where labor is important in harvesting and packing. 

Deboning chicken cuts has been too expensive for U.S. boneless chicken meat exports to Japan to 

become significant, and boneless exports from Brazil and Thailand dominate Japan’s imports. 

Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand sales to Japan benefit from some of the same strengths 

listed earlier for the United States. Canada supplies most of Japan’s canola. Canada and Australia 

supply most of the wheat imports not shipped from the United States. Australia’s feedlot industry 
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has grown up largely in response to Japan’s beef market, aided by Japanese and U.S. investment. 

Dairy products from Oceania are leading sources for Japan’s imports. Canada is about as far as the 

United States from Japan, and Oceania is closer. The weaknesses listed above for the United States 

also apply to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand as they compete against non-TPP developing 

countries for the Japanese market.

As agricultural suppliers, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have some weaknesses in comparison to the United States. Smaller populations dictate that the domestic agricultural industries either 

need to limit their size or target export markets heavily. U.S. industries are much larger because of 

the large U.S. population, and they can produce extra supplies for export more easily. Droughts in 

Australia have seriously limited its exports in several recent years. Internal bulk transport in Canada 

has been a bottleneck in supplying customers from Pacific ports. Empty (available) containers, and 

thus potentially lower freight rates, are more common in the busy U.S. Pacific ports than in the ports 

of Oceania, where there is less shipping from Asia to consumer markets in Australia, and, especially, New Zealand.

Japanese trade with Mexico, Peru, and Chile has been growing, aided by EPAs as well as the 

preferential tariffs that these countries receive as developing countries (Government of Japan/

Japan Customs, 2014). Mexico and Chile have entered the pork market, buttressed by recognition of their FMD-free status and by slight tariff preferences given in the EPAs. Mexico has also 

exported beef to Japan, in part sharing existing U.S. transportation channels. Chile and Peru 

benefit from growing seasons that complement those of Japan. All three countries have labor costs 

that are lower than in Japan.

Malaysia and Singapore have a narrower agriculture and agribusiness focus than other TPP partners. 

Malaysia is a major supplier of rubber, palm oil, and palm kernel oil to Japan. Its EPA with Japan, 

along with developing-country status, means that tariffs of concern to Malaysia’s limited suite of 

exports are often already zero. Singapore, partly active as an entrepot for Southeast Asian agricultural products and partly as a source of manufactured foods and beverage products, also has an EPA 

with Japan.

Vietnam is a major and growing exporter of a variety of agricultural products. Some of its 

exports are duty-free in Japan because Vietnam is classified as a developing country, and so 

faces lower tariffs for some commodities as part of the GSP. Vietnam is part of ASEAN, the 

Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has a trade agreement with Japan that lowers 

some tariffs. In addition, Vietnam has had its own EPA with Japan since 2009. However, some 

of Vietnam’s leading exports still face significant tariffs in Japan: rice, cassava starch, wheat 

flour, pasta, a variety of other processed foods, and mixed feeds remain subject to relatively high 

tariffs, even after the implementation of the EPA (Government of Japan/Japan Customs, 2014). 

If these tariffs were eliminated or lowered, Vietnam’s exports to Japan could rise over time. In 

particular, Vietnam would have an opportunity to replace Thai rice exports to Japan, which have 

been 200,000-300,000 tons annually in recent years, because Thailand would not benefit from 

any potential TPP tariff reductions.3 Vietnam’s cassava starch could also do well in Japan’s highpriced starch market (Arita and Dyck, 2014).

3Thailand and Vietnam export long-grain indica rice, which has specialty uses in Japan. Compared to Thailand, Vietnam produces lower value rice, but has the capacity to grow and mill higher quality rice if demand materializes. The bulk 

of Japanese consumption is and will remain short-grain japonica rice, which is not normally produced in Vietnam.
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Future Changes in Japan’s Agricultural and Food Trade

The food market in Japan is not likely to grow much in the future. A gradually declining population 

that is aging and mindful of healthy eating is more likely to reduce caloric intake in the future than 

to increase it. Against this backdrop of sluggish growth in the volume of consumption, however, 

significant changes in Japan’s food consumption are possible, even if far-reaching trade agreements 

are not reached. 

Population and associated consumption declines might be mitigated by the increased presence of 

workers from outside Japan. The service, manufacturing, and agricultural industries all employ 

some foreign workers, and there are calls to bring more in. In addition, tourism to Japan may show 

growth, especially as rural areas increasingly market themselves to foreign tourists. 

The recent popularity of local food does not appear to be waning. Direct links between farmers and 

urban consumers (such as farmers’ markets, home delivery, and Internet arrangements) are favored 

in Japan. This offers a growing opportunity for Japanese farmers. Fell and MacLaren (2013) and 

Peterson and Yoshida (2004) found evidence supporting the existence of a “home-good” preference 

for rice grown in Japan. 

Japanese consumers have concerns about food safety, quality, healthfulness, and production 

methods. Food produced using organic methods continues to grow in popularity. An increase in 

labeling, testing, and regulation of food ingredients has been occurring and is likely to continue. For 

suppliers, the bar is being raised, even though this entails extra costs to consumers and suppliers. 

Underlying this is consumer concern about food safety. Concern about metabolic syndrome (which 

includes concern about excessive weight and lack of exercise) is also high in Japan. Foods and beverages perceived as heart-healthy—including fruits, vegetables, seafood, wine, and tea—are likely to 

be more popular as a result. On the other hand, demand for rice, wheat products, some dairy products, and red meat may be reduced, at the margin, because of this concern.

Japan’s consumers have become more exposed to and familiar with other cultures in the last 

decades. This is likely to continue. Japan has always been interested in foods from other cultures, 

and this global affinity bodes well for more foreign foods being introduced to Japan. 

Japan’s agricultural exports appear to have good prospects for growth. The Japanese are increasingly 

aware that Japanese foods and consumption habits are well regarded internationally. In 2013, the 

United Nations Educational and Social Committee selected Japanese cuisine, called Washoku, as a 

world heritage asset. There is potential for greater use of Japanese ingredients by Japanese firms and 

Japanese restaurants operating in other countries. 
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Changes in Japan’s Agricultural Trade Possible With a 

TPP Agreement

The Trans-Pacific Partnership goal is to increase the integration of the economies of the partner 

countries. Major possibilities include eliminating duties and quantitative restrictions on imports from 

other TPP countries; allowing business firms greater freedom to operate in all TPP countries, such 

as through reduced barriers to investment and better ability to compete against state-owned enterprises; harmonizing many laws and rules, such as regulations on sanitary/phytosanitary standards, 

labeling, copyright, food standards, and other matters; and developing consultative and disputesettlement bodies that address a variety of intercountry issues as they arise.

If a comprehensive agreement emerges, Japan’s market for agricultural products will change further. 

A more open and competitive agricultural market in Japan under the proposed TPP agreement will 

lead to lower prices and more choices for consumers. Tariff reduction or elimination on imports 

from TPP partner countries could significantly lower the prices of imported beef, oranges, rice, 

cheese, milk powder (whole and skim), and butter.

Elimination of TRQs and state trading for imports from TPP countries would possibly alter the 

composition of rice imports, with more short-grain and organic rice imported, in response to 

consumer demand. Short-grain rice could replace medium-grain rice (both are called “japonica”) 

and organic rice would replace nonorganic rice. The present system, in which much of the rice 

purchased through state trading never goes to Japanese consumers (it is used for foreign aid or feed), 

does not fully reflect the tastes and preferences of consumers. 

Processed dairy product imports could increase in variety as well as in volume. The current state 

trading system imports basic commodities like nonfat dry milk and butter, while imports of more 

highly processed products, also covered by the same TRQ, do not occur. This is perhaps the reason 

that Japan has had to notify the WTO of numerous special safeguard actions for dairy products. 

Despite the very high over-quota tariffs, importers continue to try to bring in specialty dairy products, which Japan then taxes with even higher safeguard tariffs. Processed products containing 

significant amounts of wheat flour and sugar encounter the same problems with state trading within 

the TRQs and could also increase in variety and volume when TRQs are lifted.

In some cases, such as beef and oranges, where imports are a very high proportion of consumption 

and consumers are sensitive to price changes, lower prices may trigger higher overall consumption, 

not just increased import levels (Obara et al., 2010; Mori et al., 2009; Thompson, 2004). In other 

cases, lower priced imports will compete with Japanese production. This will be most noticeable for 

commodities in which the quality of Japan’s production is inferior to, identical with, or close to that 

of imports. Japanese wheat is generally regarded as lower in quality than imported wheat. Sugar, 

milk powder, and butter are generally not distinguishable from imports. Japanese beef from dairy 

animals competes to some extent with beef imported from North America and Oceania on a quality 

basis, but has been significantly more expensive than imports (Obara et al., 2010). Reducing the 

tariff would make the price difference larger. 
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Conclusion

As the TPP negotiations proceed, Japan will be influenced by several related developments. In its 

previous EPAs, Japan has not agreed to comprehensive trade liberalization in agriculture, with 

lower liberalization ratios (overall percentage of tariff lines reduced or eliminated) than other countries’ preferential trade agreements (Burfisher, et al., 2014). In particular, Japan has held back from 

bilateral liberalization of the rice, wheat, beef, pork, dairy, sweetener, and starch sectors. The trade 

protections Japan has erected for these commodities are relatively intact for all except the least 

developed countries. Japan has also retained the system of TRQs and state trading in negotiating 

previous trade liberalization pacts. Comprehensive liberalization under the proposed TPP agreement 

would break new ground.

The TPP offers a chance for Japan to forge a comprehensive agreement first with countries (the 

United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) that generally have higher wages than nearby 

developing economies such as China (see box, “Other Regional Trade Efforts: China-Japan-Korea, 

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and Japan-Australia”). North America and Oceania 

are also farther away from Japan than Asian countries, giving Japan some natural advantages in 

terms of freshness, and, in the case of Oceania, in seasonal production of many crops. Competition 

with agricultural sectors in the TPP countries may be easier for Japan’s sector than competition with 

China and other developing countries, particularly in horticulture. TPP membership may be a step in 

the transition of Japan’s agriculture from full protection to full, global liberalization. 

Vietnam, and to some extent Malaysia, have some of the characteristics that make China a formidable potential exporter of horticultural products and rice. However, Malaysia does not export a 

broad array of agricultural products, and Vietnam produces indica, rather than japonica, rice; indica 

is a market niche in Japan currently dominated by Thai imports. Furthermore, the tropical climate of 

Southeast Asia is not suited for some fruits and vegetables (notably apples, pears, and cold-weather 

Other Regional Trade Efforts: China-Japan-Korea, Regional 

Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and Japan-Australia

Japan is negotiating with South Korea and China toward a trilateral trade pact. In nonagricultural industries, Korean and Japanese firms compete, and trade barriers on both sides are important subjects of negotiation. However, in agriculture, the greater concern in Japan is imports 

from China. Imports from China are problematic for Japan because farmers in northern China 

have similar products and growing seasons to Japan, and are geographically close enough to 

ship products to Japan that arrive almost as fresh as those produced in Japan. Most importantly, 

because of lower costs in China, they arrive at a lower price than Japanese farmers can generally match. In contrast to Trans-Pacific Partnership partners, China poses a greater challenge 

to Japan in rice, fresh and processed vegetables, and fruit. Japan is also engaged with China 

and Korea in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) talks, in which the 3 

Northeast Asia countries, the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, 

India, Australia, and New Zealand seek liberalization. Parallel with TPP, RCEP, and the ChinaJapan-Korea talks, Japan has negotiated a separate Economic Partnership Agreement with 

Australia. If ratified, this agreement could provide Australian goods preferential rates for certain 

product sectors, making Australia exports more competitive in Japan’s markets compared with 

other countries in the TPP negotiations.
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vegetables) that are extremely important to Japan’s agriculture. Also, until now, tropical production 

of japonica rice has been very limited, again because of climate.

The TPP also is being negotiated at a point when political pressure on Japan’s system of domestic 

support is strong. The Government of Shinzo Abe has declared its intention to end the production 

allocations and volume targets for rice, allowing individual farms greater freedom to expand their 

production (Government of Japan/Prime Minister of Japan, 2014). Partial liberalization of rice trade 

(i.e., just with the TPP countries) could be compatible with this intended change in domestic policies, which would encourage larger-scale rice farming in Japan, making rice from such farms more 

competitive with imports.

Japan’s agricultural stakeholders may be gaining more confidence in their ability to compete for 

consumer demand over the long term. Japan’s consumers express increasing interest in obtaining 

food locally and are often interested in visiting farms and contributing labor. Although consumers’ 

concerns about food safety have put producers in Japan under a lot of scrutiny and pressure, with 

careful industry and Government attention to safety measures, Japan’s farmers have the capacity 

to match or surpass the safety standards of exporting countries. Japan has a research and extension 

network that supports change and innovation. A great deal of technological experimentation and 

change occurs in Japan. 

Centralized marketing through cooperatives, while often criticized as preventing structural change 

and adding to costs, may also be seen as the basis for strong, well-capitalized competition for large 

domestic and foreign corporations seeking to sell imported products into Japan. Japan’s farmers 

have a long tradition of starting farms in North and South America. A tight TPP framework could 

encourage them to continue this tradition, providing them access to climate conditions, resources, 

and markets that could complement their operations in Japan. Access to cheaper imports through 

TPP could lower the cost of intermediate inputs for Japan’s food manufacturing sector and boost 

production and export of high-value processed products.

On the other hand, Japanese agriculture is famous for being a stumbling block to trade liberalization. Japan’s electoral system still gives rural constituencies a strong voice in parliamentary elections. Population declines in most rural areas have been sharp, leading to a sense of vulnerability 

(Government of Japan/Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 2010 Annual Report). The 

central union of cooperatives has often protested and lobbied against trade pacts. Part-time farmer 

and family membership in the cooperatives significantly expands their political representation,4 and 

they are loath to forfeit income or security as a result of trade liberalization. Japanese Government 

representatives frequently mention five sensitive areas in TPP negotiations: rice, wheat and barley, 

sugar, dairy, and beef and pork. The intention of Japan’s Government is to protect these five areas 

from liberalization as much as possible. 

Japanese Government estimates (Government of Japan, Cabinet Secretariat of Japan, 2013) predicted 

that a comprehensive TPP agreement would reduce agricultural output by 2.66 trillion yen ($25 

billion), or about 42 percent of Japan’s total output of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. The 

estimates range from a 17-percent decline in egg production to a 100-percent decline in sugar and 

starch materials.

4While the agricultural sector makes up less than 2 percent of economic output, members of the JA group (Japan 

Agriculture, the main cooperative federation) include 8 percent of Japan’s population (Government of Japan, Ministry of 

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Yearbook of Agriculture, 2013).
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The Japanese Government estimates are severe in that they disregard supply constraints that would 

likely preclude TPP partners from supplying so much additional trade to Japan. Japan produces more 

rice than either the United States or Australia. Japan’s rice is almost entirely short-grain japonica 

rice. Even if all U.S. japonica-type rice (medium-grain and short-grain rice) is considered, the 

amount produced is much less than what is produced in Japan (table 2). Water, soil, and climatic 

factors constrain medium- and short-grain rice production in the United States and Australia. If a 

TPP agreement offered free access of such rice to Japan, the conditions for expanded production 

in the United States and Australia do not appear to be favorable. Prices in the United States and 

Australia would likely rise, narrowing the gap with Japanese prices. The assumption used by the 

Japanese Government in its estimates of losses from a TPP appears to be that all medium- and shortgrain rice produced in other TPP countries will be purchased by Japan after an agreement. This 

is unrealistic; japonica-type rices from the United States and Australia now go to several markets, 

including to U.S.-specific TRQs in Korea and Taiwan, which Japan would need to bid against in 

order to get all the TPP japonica rice. Japan will continue to produce most of the rice it consumes, 

even with an end to all barriers to rice from TPP countries. 

Supply constraints are also likely to emerge in the markets for meat. World trade in meats is done 

mostly on the basis of cuts (Dyck and Nelson, 2003). To consider raising more cattle, farmers need 

to find markets for all the parts that come from a slaughtered animal, at prices sufficient to make 

a profit on the animal. Beef, pork, and poultry meat trade between TPP exporters and Japan’s 

importers has flourished until now largely because Japanese consumers are willing to pay more 

for certain cuts than consumers in the exporting countries (Obara et al., 2010). Most of the cuts 

coming from animals in the exporting countries, however, do not find a market in Japan. Expanding 

production of the few cuts demanded in Japan leaves producers in the exporting countries with the 

need to market the rest of the animal carcass. While higher prices for a subset of the cuts will raise 

carcass prices and lead to expanded cattle and beef supply, the expansion will be less than if all cuts 

garnered a higher price. By eliminating its meat tariffs, Japan might be able to bid away some of 

the exports of the favored cuts now being sent to other Asian markets, which tend to prefer the same 

cuts. However, Japan is already a large buyer of most of the cuts in question, and there are likely 

limits to additional supply. 

Japan’s tariff on beef (38.5 percent) is high, but tariffs on pork (4.3 percent) and frozen cuts of 

poultry (11.9 percent or less) are not. Wagyu beef is a large share of the total value of Japan’s beef 

consumption and is quite differentiated from other beef. It is likely to preserve its market, although 

cattle producers in other TPP countries may try to raise more wagyu-type cattle, partly to satisfy 

demand for high-quality meat in their own domestic markets. Other beef produced in Japan is also 

from cattle fattened using more grain per animal than in exporting countries, and that beef may 

also have characteristics that consumers prefer. The elimination of the tariff might not be enough to 

weaken demand for Japanese beef to the extent predicted by Japan’s Government. 

Japan’s pork trade is subject to the gate price system, which induces all import shipments to come 

into Japan’s market at or above a minimum price that is constant over time. Imported shipments can 

contain a variety of cuts and multiple container loads. Importers balance the cuts to achieve the gate 

price. Elimination of the gate price would give importers more flexibility in choosing which cuts to 

import. As with beef, Japan’s importers appear to prefer certain cuts, not the full spectrum of cuts 

from a slaughtered hog. These cuts (for example, single-ribbed bellies) are the same ones imported 

by other Asian countries from the United States and other TPP countries, which means that Japanese 

buyers have to compete with bids from other importers. Pork in Japan is costly. The OECD calcu-
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lated that 67 percent of total producer gross receipts for pork were attributable to government 

measures in 2012, including the 4.3 percent ad valorem tariff, the gate price system, special safeguards, and domestic subsidies (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2014). 

Reducing or eliminating barriers to less expensive imports would increase trade.

Some animal disease controls would remain in place after the proposed TPP agreement. In particular, FMD and avian influenza restrictions are likely to preclude uncooked meat exports from 

Vietnam to Japan. Phytosanitary restrictions will continue to limit some potential trade in plantbased materials.

Recent modeling at USDA/ERS examined a scenario in which TPP partners eliminate tariffs and 

TRQs on imports from other TPP countries (Burfisher et al., 2014). The scenario allows for a phased 

elimination of tariffs over 2015-2025. Under the tariff elimination scenario, the model finds that the 

pact will have very small positive effects on members’ real GDP.5 For Japan, agricultural imports 

are expected to rise as a result of tariff elimination; selected commodity changes are presented in 

table 4, using percentage changes from the scenario and base values from the recent past to illustrate 

expected changes.

The scenario results did not include elimination of other important barriers to trade, such as country 

standards that might be harmonized within a comprehensive TPP agreement or policies such as 

the gate price system for pork or certain Government interventions in the sweetener sector. The 

singular importance of Japan to agricultural trade within the proposed TPP zone is demonstrated by 

the scenario result that 68 percent of agricultural import growth across the TPP countries occurs in 

Japan. However, unlike the Japanese Government estimates, the scenario results do not reflect a huge 

drop in Japanese agricultural activity, and they suggest that most of Japan’s agricultural sector could 

become competitive within a TPP zone, even with intra-TPP tariffs eliminated (table 5). 

Japan’s large agricultural sector will change if a comprehensive TPP agreement is reached, but 

the overall effect would likely be modest. Japanese production of high-quality, high-value goods, 

including rice, should continue to supply most of the markets presently served in Japan. Japan’s 

consumers should benefit from lower prices for imported goods as tariffs on TPP imports disappear. 

In some cases, consumption may increase in response to lower prices. Exporters to Japan should 

see relatively large gains in those areas where protection is currently high (e.g., rice, beef, and dairy 

products). However, gains depend on the type of agreement reached. Domestic policies and SPS 

rules could preclude some trade. Japan is a large market, and its import demands tend to be for quite 

specific products. An important constraint to import growth from the proposed TPP agreement will 

be supply limitations for those products in the rest of the TPP countries.

5Using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model with heterogeneous firms, Petri et al. (2011) estimate that 

TPP would provide Japan a welfare gain of over 0.5 percent of baseline GDP by 2025 under a scenario of tariff elimination and reduction in nontariff measures.
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Table 4

ERS estimates of the effects of tariff elimination on Japan’s imports

Change in value of 

imports due to TPP 

Import value, 

2011-13 average

Additional trade, based on 

average value, 2011-13

Percent ¥ billion ¥ billion $ million U.S.

Bovine products 31 296 92 1,071

Rice 111 44 49 568

Wheat 14 203 29 339

Fruits, vegetables, nuts 4 354 14 157

Dairy products

 Butter 52 4 2 25

 Skim milk powder 41 9 4 42

 Cheese 5 97 5 57

 Other dairy products1 20 11 2 26

Pork2 3 471 12 137

Poultry meat 2 304 7 85

Sugar 9 70 6 74

Other foods 0.3 907 3 32

¥ = yen; TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Notes: Product categories are as defined in Burfisher et al., 2014. Changes due to TPP are modeling results with respect 

to a 2025 projected baseline. Import values are calculated from Japan trade statistics, presented in the World Trade Atlas. 

Additional trade is converted to million U.S. dollars using the average exchange rate for 2011-13. 

1Other dairy products include whole milk powder, yogurt, whey, etc.

2The estimate for pork is based on elimination of the 4.3-percent tariff and does not consider changes to the Gate Price 

system, which imposes a minimum import price.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using results in Burfisher et al., 2014, and calculations using 

Government of Japan trade data. 
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Table 5

Effects of TPP tariff elimination on Japanese output quantity

Commodity Government of Japan estimates ERS estimates

Percent decline in Japanese production (output)

Rice -32 -3

Wheat -99 -32

Poultry -20 -1

Beef -68 -15

Pork -70 -1

Sugar -100 -2

Dairy products -45 -3 to -35 *

Fruits/vegetables n/a -1

 Citrus -8 n/a

 Apples -8 n/a

Eggs -17 n/a

Starch materials -100 n/a

Barley -79 n/a

TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership.

* Cheese, other dairy, and whey decline by 3 percent to 4 percent; powdered milk by 13 percent, and butter by 35 percent.

n/a = not available. 

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, using estimates from Government of Japan (Cabinet Secretariat of Japan, 

2013) and USDA/ERS (Burfisher et al., 2014). 
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