Abstract
This paper discusses problems encountered in promoting organic agriculture in Japan along with the direction to be taken for the future while analyzing the actual state of deployment and promotion of organic agriculture in Japan. Organic agriculture first began in Japan in the form of a social movement through sansho-teikei (collaboration between the production and consumption sectors) in the 1960s, and has involved a diverse range of organizations and individuals. Accompanying this movement, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has strengthened regulations governing the indication and labeling of organic agricultural products rather than promoting organic agriculture. In Japan at present, programs utilizing the government's "eco-farmer system" and prefectural certification systems are being deployed primarily in the Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto and Kyushu regions. However, production is made unstable by the approach, and management expense increases, an increase of the working hour is caused in organic farming. Despite the considerable management risk, it is difficult to secure sales channels to reduce that risk. In addition, due to the complexity of the current labeling certification system, consumers do not always have an adequate understanding of organic agricultural products. For these reasons, the deployment of organic agriculture has been localized to certain areas with any significant lateral proliferation. In order to position organic agriculture for the promotion of regional agriculture, it will be indispensable to develop technologies that reduce management risk and implement new support policies. It is hoped that new programs and legislations such as the Organic Agriculture Promotion Law and the Environmental Direct Payment System will be effective in achieving these objectives. On the other hand, it will also be necessary to consider the level of interest and evaluation of consumers supporting organic agriculture with respect to agriculture and food products.
