The widespread devastation from the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami affected many agricultural and fishery areas in Japan. In addition, detected radioactive contamination of food produced near the disabled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant has raised fears about the safety of Japan's food production systems and its future food exports. Many countries have increased their surveillance of food products from Japan, and the Japanese government has taken steps to monitor and restrict, if necessary, the distribution of contaminated foods. In the United States, the two primary agencies that regulate U.S. food imports—the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—have taken steps to address these concerns. Other U.S. agencies are also working to address this situation, as well as concerns about whether radiation leaks from Japan might possibly affect food production in the United States or U.S. territories in the Pacific. Various international organizations, including those within the United Nations, are closely monitoring global concerns about the safety of foods produced in Japan. Japan's agricultural and fisheries industries account for a small share (less than 2%) of its total yearly GDP, but are an important part of the country's overall economy. Agricultural output, measured at the farm level, totals about $70 billion annually. The value of Japan's fisheries accounts for another $14 billion. Principal food commodities produced in Japan include fish and seafood, rice, vegetables, fruits and nuts, and dairy and poultry products. Despite its size, Japan has roughly the same number of commercial farms as the United States—estimated at about 2 million. These farms are spread across an estimated 11.4 million acres of cultivated farmland (a fraction of that in the United States, estimated at more than 400 million acres). Japan's marine fisheries industry has about 115,200 business enterprises and another 6,500 "inland water" (aquaculture) operations. Japan is a net food importer ( Table 1 ). Imports of agricultural and fisheries products totaled $59.3 billion in 2010. Nearly half of the value of Japan's food imports consisted of fish and meat products. Other imports include grains and bakery goods (23% of total value), and vegetables and fruits (8%). The United States was the leading supplier, accounting for about one-fourth of food imports ($14.1 billion in 2010). About half of the value of U.S. food exports to Japan consisted of cereal grains, including corn ($3 billion in 2010, accounting for 30% of all U.S. corn exports). Other U.S. exports were seafood, meat and dairy products (21%), and fruits and nuts (5%). Japan's food exports totaled $4.7 billion in 2010. Leading Japanese food exports included fish and other animal products (about 40%), processed foods, bakery products, and grains (about 15%), beverages (8%), and other miscellaneous products ( Table 1 ). Food exports to the United States totaled nearly $700 million in 2010, accounting for about 15% of Japan's total food exports. Exports to the United States consisted mostly of fish and animal products, processed bakery products and grains, and beverages. The agricultural and food sectors are important and strategic aspects of Japan's government policies. Japan provides generous support to its agricultural sectors and protects its domestic producers by imposing high tariffs on most imported foods. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that Japan provides substantial government support for its domestic farmers—estimated at more than $46 billion in 2009—ranking Japan second behind the European Union (EU) in terms of total governmental farm spending among developed countries. Japan's current agricultural policy plan (Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas Basic Plan) "addresses wide-ranging policy change by designating food, agriculture and rural areas governance as a national strategy." One of the plan's principal goals is to raise Japan's self-sufficiency in food production from an estimated 40% in recent years to 50% by FY2020. Food self-sufficiency is reported to be greater in some prefectures. The five coastal prefectures that were most affected by earthquake and tsunami had a reported high food self-sufficiency ratio: Aomori (119%); Iwate (104%); Miyagi (80%); Fukushima (85%); and Ibaraki (70%). It is unclear how the recent devastation to these areas will affect the region's food self-sufficiency. The widespread devastation from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami affected many agricultural and fishery areas in Japan. Most reports acknowledge that Japan's current production and supply shortages, along with rising food safety concerns and possible longer-term radiation threats to its food production, could limit Japan's food exports while possibly increasing its need for food imports in the future. It is still not clear what effect, if any, Japan's current food supply and demand situation will have on world farm commodity markets and food prices. Japan's assessment of the damages to the fisheries, agriculture, and forestry sectors from the March 2011 earthquake is currently estimated at $21.5 billion. Of this estimated total, $11.0 billion is attributed to losses in Japan's fisheries sector, along with $9.1 billion in damages to agricultural lands and crops, and another $1.4 billion in damages to forested lands and facilities. Damages to agricultural crops, land, and facilities have been reported in several prefectures, including Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano, Niigata, and Mie, among others ( Figure 1 ). Damages to the agriculture sector cover nearly 4,700 farmland areas and about 16,400 food facilities. Among fisheries, "catastrophic damages" to fish vessels and harbor facilities have been reported in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures; other damages to fishing vessels and harbor facilities were also reported in Hokkaido, Aomori, Ibaraki, Chiba, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Wakayama, Tokushima, Kochi, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa prefectures, and in Tokyo Metropolitan. Damages to aquaculture facilities were reported in Toyama, Ishikawa, Shizuoka, and Tottori prefectures. Damages to the fisheries sector cover damage to more than 20,700 fishing vessels and 319 fishery harbor facilities. A compilation by USDA of cropland production statistics in the five coastal prefectures—Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki—indicates the importance of these prefectures to Japan's agricultural sector ( Table 2 ). USDA's summary, using 2007 production data, shows that these five prefectures account for about one-fifth of Japan's total marine fisheries and aquaculture production by volume, and 17% of all agricultural output by volume. These areas also account for similar shares of the nation's rice, soybeans, vegetables, and livestock production, and also house 19% of Japan's hog production, about one-tenth of all cattle and dairy herds, and about one-fifth of its poultry flocks. Another report by the Netherlands-based Rabobank estimates the potential impact on some major food sectors, covering meat, dairy, seafood, fruits and vegetables, and grains and rice. The report states that the earthquake had no immediate effect on rice supply, given high year-end stocks; however, it noted possible concerns about soil contamination and its effect on future planting. The report notes that most of Japan's grain processing mills and soy-crushing plants are located outside the damage zone; other reports confirm that many of these facilities may remain operational. However, power shortages may temporarily affect processing operations. About 15% of Japan's compound feed industry capacity is estimated to have been damaged. The report notes that a significant portion of Japan's meat, poultry, and dairy production is located in northern coastal prefectures, and states that power shortages may have damaged supplies that were in cold storage. The report also notes widespread damage in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, including damage to fishing ports and vessels, and to wild seedbeds for key products such as scallops and oysters. Also, seawater contamination is eroding consumer confidence in the country's fresh seafood catch. In addition to damage to vegetable farms and orchards in the coastal prefectures, the report notes growing concerns about radioactive contamination in locally produced vegetables and fruits. Despite the current situation in Japan, food imports for consumption or for further processing have not stopped and many in-country food facilities continue to operate throughout the country. The Japanese government has been monitoring possible radioactive contamination of plant and animal products and tap water in some of the coastal prefectures as well as southern prefectures near the disabled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. Testing has been conducted nearly daily since March 19, 2011, to detect possible radioactive contaminants on a wide range of plant and animal products, including fish. Testing for radioactive contaminants in foods is ongoing and spans many adjacent prefectures. Among the types of foods tested are spinach, lettuce, leeks, cabbage, cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, chives, broccoli, turnips, asparagus, eggplant, parsley, zucchini, celery, cabbage, melons, shitake, wasabi, garland chrysanthemum and other locally grown produce, rapeseed, raw and pasteurized milk, poultry eggs, pork, sea cucumbers, blue mackerel, squid, flounder, and sardines.