Director General's message

ASAKAWA Kyouko, Director-General

 Looking back over the past year, people have adjusted to life with COVID-19 as we all experienced wave after wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The economy seemed to be gradually improving as pandemic restrictions were eased, and people could move around again. However, Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine last February, and this conflict has gripped the global society for almost a year. As the war involves a major exporter of grain, cooking oil, and fertilizer, it has impeded the stable production and export of those products. This situation threatens the existence of the global food supply—a system premised on food procurement under free trade systems and the international division of labor. In addition, the spiraling costs of food imports and producer goods caused by inclement weather in producing regions and the rapid weakening of the yen have hurt Japan’s domestic agriculture business. This situation has also negatively affected the Japanese diet, which depends on imports for most of these products. As a result, food security risks became widely recognized last year, and there is now a strong demand to ensure a stable food supply even in times of uncertainty.

 In response to these issues, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries embarked on a comprehensive review and revision of its policies in September last year, seeking to amend the Basic Act on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas for the first time in 20 years. Considering the domestic and global trends in food production, consumption, and trade, we are promoting structural transformations to establish a crisis-resistant food supply system by producing as much domestically producible food as possible. Moreover, in line with the Strategy for Sustainable Food systems, MeaDRI (Measures for achievement of Decarbonization and Resilience with Innovation), formulated in 2021, it is essential to proactively respond to policy issues such as climate change countermeasures that impact food production in the medium to long term and the realization of sustainable agricultural activities.

 As the research body of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries for policies of a social scientific nature, the Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, engages in scientific research in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. It uses the findings of this research to support policy verification, consideration, and promotion.

 In particular, we are doing this by (1) gathering data on the supply and demand for grain and other crops of major countries to formulate long-term world food supply and demand projections and to analyze the impact that each country’s political and economic structures and systems will have on food production and distribution; (2) conducting a detailed analysis of the 2020 Census of Agriculture and Forestry to shed light on the structural changes and issues of local farming and life in farm villages in addition to an analysis of changes in food accessibility due to the ongoing aging and depopulation of these areas; and (3) investigating the factors contributing to the growth of the organic farm product market through an analysis of sales strategies in production areas and consumer buying patterns and developing ways to assess the environmental, social, and governance or ESG efforts of agricultural businesses in terms of corporate value. Furthermore, we are also compiling and publishing our research results for topics such as the impact of farming with persons with disabilities on their minds and bodies and local communities. This had previously been implemented in partnership with researchers from different fields and administrative agencies. Additionally, we would like to share our institute’s research widely with everyone through various media methods, including online ones, and exchange ideas and opinions to strengthen partnerships and collaborations.

Jan. 2023
 ASAKAWA Kyouko
Director-General