The recent gathering of farm ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations was a missed opportunity for Japan to set realistic goals to improve agricultural self-sufficiency as it faces a host of challenges to food security, experts say.
Everything from a chronic lack of resources, a dwindling working population, government reluctance to overhaul agricultural policy and boost rice production, and even changes in eating habits have reduced Japan to a nation precariously dependent on imports.
Russia's war with Ukraine and the subsequent shock to global supply chains served as a further reminder of the vulnerability of Japan's food systems against external conflicts.