Japanese supermarkets are filled with products labeled as domestic, yet the country also imports large amounts of wheat, soybeans, cooking-oil ingredients, and livestock feed. It may seem contradictory for Japan to protect its farmers while depending so heavily on food from overseas.
Japan’s calorie-based food self-sufficiency rate remains below 40 percent. Even meat and eggs labeled as Japanese may come from animals raised on imported feed. Only around a quarter of the feed used for livestock is produced within Japan, so much of the country’s domestic livestock industry still depends on grain arriving from abroad. A product can be Japanese even when the foundation of its production is not entirely domestic.
Limited farmland and high production costs make it difficult for Japan to produce everything it needs at home. Consumers may prefer Japanese products, but that preference has limits. When a domestic product costs twice as much as an imported alternative, many people will choose the cheaper one. The desire to support local agriculture does not always fit comfortably with the need to control everyday food expenses.
Japan also does not protect every agricultural product in the same way. Some products can be imported at a lower tariff up to a set amount, while higher tariffs apply beyond that level. Rice is protected more strongly, while domestic production of wheat and livestock feed falls far short of demand and is supported by large-scale imports.
The system has existed for so long that it can feel normal, even to people who remain uneasy about it. When one product is protected far more strongly than another, it can raise suspicions that political interests and industry influence are involved. When the government says it must protect farmers while also providing consumers with inexpensive imported food, some people are left wondering which side the policy is really meant to protect.
The government’s approach is not to produce all food domestically. It combines domestic production, imports, and emergency reserves in an attempt to maintain a stable supply. Wheat and feed grains, for example, are stockpiled in case overseas supplies are disrupted.
The need for imports is understandable. It is harder to accept a system in which prices rise sharply as soon as shipments stop and domestic production cannot quickly fill the gap. Japan’s geography is part of the explanation, but it does not explain everything. How far the country depends on overseas supplies, and how much productive capacity it keeps at home, are also the results of long-term policy choices.