Japan Press Weekly

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2014 June 11 - 17 [POLITICS]

Gov’t steamrollers through bills to promote corporate entry in agriculture

The House of Councilors at the plenary session on June 13 enacted two bills focusing on the promotion of corporate entry into the agricultural industry by majority vote. The Japanese Communist Party voted against the bills.

JCP Upper House member Kami Tomoko opposed the two bills in discussions prior to the vote both at the plenary meeting on that day and at a committee meeting on the previous day. She said that what the government aims to accomplish with the bills is to encourage more companies to participate in farming, not to support family farmers.

The government proposed bills will impose on local farmers the maintenance of waterways and roads even attached to corporations’ farmland in order to invite more corporate participation. In addition, under the bills, the government will make changes in the family farmer subsidy program: subsidy will be provided in accordance with the quantity of output instead of the size of area under cultivation; the number of recipients will be halved. These changes could cause negative impacts to farmers in mountainous areas.

JCP Kami criticized the government for trying to “reform” agriculture in line with Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s speech in January in Davos that in the near future, companies will be able to engage in farming without barriers.

The JCP lawmaker said that the need now is for the government to support Japanese agriculture by placing high priority on increasing Japan’s self-sufficiency rate and motivating family farmers to continue farming with enthusiasm with the introduction of various supportive measures.