The Liberal Democratic Party wants to increase corporate participation in agriculture to boost the competitiveness of Japanese farms as pressure increases to cut import tariffs.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's party is considering allowing nonfood firms to take almost 50 percent stakes in farming entities, up from 25 percent, according to Hiroshi Moriyama, head of the LDP's farm reform committee. The party also wants to streamline approvals of land sales by individuals to farming corporations.
The rule changes would increase the number of agricultural ventures between farmers and companies and reduce the power of JA-Zenchu, the nation's largest farm lobby and an opponent of the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade plan.