Transformation of "Equality" over Food

Considering Rice around Empire

Abstract

This paper traces the transformation of the perception of food self-sufficiency in Japan from the 1950s through the 1970s. During this period, Japan achieved self-sufficiency in rice, but this was not only due to an increase in production but also to the diversification of diets that relied on imported grains. In the rice shortage of the early 1950s, coupons for purchasing wheat were distributed to every household, but the actual use of the coupons was sluggish. Because appropriate side dishes for bread, especially eggs and meat, were expensive, it was reasonable to continue eating rice, even if it meant buying more rice than the ration allotment at a black market price. In addition, the contamination and poor taste of imported rice caused people to crave domestically produced rice. However, after self-sufficiency in rice was achieved in the late 1960s, the nature of the problem changed dramatically. First, concerns about a global food crisis emerged and the experience of the first oil crisis led to a recognition of the dangers of dependence on imported food. This awareness was typically expressed in the claims of reformist political parties and was often featured in popular magazines. Another was the demand for "equal treatment" of rice in the consumer movement. As rice became scarce, the government established a voluntary marketed rice system. This established a lower-priced "standard rice" and a higher-priced "voluntary marketed rice". This disparity, and the fear that it would lead to higher prices for rice, led to continued opposition at consumer conventions and other events. Interestingly, the debate on self-sufficiency in the context of the "food crisis" and the rice "equality" were not interconnected. These two perspectives were combined in the 1980s in the debate over the acceptance of rice imports.