Abstract
Japan's food supply since the Meiji era is discussed from the viewpoint of grain importation, and the geographical studies on the topic are reviewed. The beginning of Japan's food dependence on foreign sources occurred during the mid-Meiji era and a significant amount of rice was imported until World War II. Geographers at that time studied this phenomenon and, although some studies conducted during the war had no scientific basis, they reflect the high level of interest taken in Japan's food supply. After the war, this interest gradually died down, and the research focus shifted to domestic agricultural production. However, since the current amount of food imported into Japan has reached the highest level in history, there is considerable value in reviewing previous studies conducted on geography and food importation.
