Column  Finance and the Social Security System  2018.05.29

【Aging, safety net and fiscal crisis in Japan】No.118: Food Self-Sufficiency Rate

In this column series, Yukihiro Matsuyama, Research Director at CIGS introduces the latest information about aging, safety net and fiscal crisis in Japan with data of international comparison.
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When thinking about the safety net for Japanese people, a food self-sufficiency rate is important. The food self-sufficiency rate is an index showing how domestic agricultural production covers much domestic food consumption. There are two definitions, a food self-sufficiency rate based on the production value and a food self-sufficiency rate based on calories. Figure 1 shows the calculation formula and the historical trend.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the food self-sufficiency rate based on the production value declined from 86% in 1965 to 68% in 2016. The food self-sufficiency rate based on calories dropped further from 73% to 38% during the same period. The ministry also released international comparative data. As shown in Figure 2, Japan's food self-sufficiency rate is the lowest among developed countries. This suggests that, if there is a sharp depreciation of the yen triggered by financial collapse and so on in the future, this will be a major obstacle to food security.


Figure 1: Trend of food self-sufficiency rate
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Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries


Figure 2: International comparison of food self-sufficiency rate
118-fig2.png

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries