While Norwegians seem to have an insatiable appetite for sushi, the situation is completely different in Japan. For several decades, the Japanese have had less desire for rice and fish, and have instead placed their love on imported goods, such as meat and bread. Now the experts fear that the trend makes the country vulnerable. – When it comes to national security, food is more important than weapons. You can’t fight if you don’t have food, says professor of agricultural economics at the University of Tokyo, Nobuhiro Suzuki, to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). – Risk of famine Japan has seen the need to increase the defense budget, because the country could be drawn into war, should China attack Taiwan. Suzuki believes that it is so important for national security that more investment is made in home-produced rice and wheat, because war can mean famine. Japan does not have enough domestic production to rely on to support the nation, if a war leads to the blocking of sea routes in the sea areas outside China and in the Taiwan Strait. Former vice admiral in Japan’s maritime self-defense force, Toshiyuki Ito, says, according to SCMP, that the country is more vulnerable than ever. He refers to the government’s lack of investment in rice fields and other agricultural land. – They do nothing for national security. They only think about economic efficiency, says Ito, about the country’s ministry responsible for food production. He is now a professor at the Kanazawa Institute of Technology. Don’t want rice In Japan, too, there is inflation, but more expensive food is only part of the problem. The rice fields are drying up because there are fewer farmers and because there is less demand. Price demands from strong agricultural organizations have also taken their toll. Lack of appetite for rice has come in the wake of increased living standards and a busy everyday life. Many young people think that it takes too long to cook rice, which is best if it is soaked for an hour before cooking. Japanese people eat half as much rice as they did in the sixties, when each person ate over a hundred kilograms annually. Another reason is globalisation, which has given access to goods and experiences outside the island kingdom, and where an alternative diet has been served via films, TV and the internet. More women in work and more singles are also cited as reasons why the Japanese have developed a greater appetite for fast food. Japan boasts the third most McDonald’s outlets in the world, after the United States and China. Of those who opt out of rice, there are also many who want a low-calorie diet. In 2020, the country’s calorie-based own production was down to 37 per cent, which is lower than any other country with a powerful economy. The decline is dramatic from 1965, when it was 73 per cent. Over the past fifty years, the proportion of self-produced wheat has halved to 13 per cent. Now it comes from the USA, Canada and Australia. Sushi The Japanese authorities have for a long time encouraged the population to eat traditionally, without success. The appetite for seafood is also significantly less than before. Now each Japanese eats an average of 25 kilos of fish a year. 20 years ago they ate 40 kilos each. And when they eat sushi, mackerel and salmon from Norway and Chile are preferably on the menu. Japan has also become dependent on imported grain products for almost all animal feed. This means that Japanese meat production is not included in the Japanese accounts for the share of self-produced food. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been served the problem in the form of a report from his party colleagues in the ruling LDP party. – Based on the situation in Ukraine, we have realized that we must do what we can at home. We must produce as much as we can ourselves, including fertilizer and seeds, says the head of the committee, former Minister of Agriculture Hiroshi Mirayama.
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Japanese eat less rice – fear famine if there is a Taiwan war – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
