Miller Magazine Issue: 122 February 2020

JAPAN 79 MILLER / FEBRUARY 2020 Japanese grain and milling industry Japan has one of the lowest food self- sufficiency rates among major world economies. The Asian nation’s food self- sufficiency rate on a caloric intake basis was 37 percent in 2018. Japan is the second-largest agricultural product importer in the world. A small agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. While self-sufficient in rice production, it imports about 60% of its food on a caloric basis. Only 20% of Japan’s land is suitable for cultivation and it has the fastest-aging agricultural labor force. There has been a growing concern about farming as the current farmers are aging with a difficult time finding successors.