Fishery Management and Fishery Sector in the Context of “Japanese-style”:

Abstract

From Max Weber’s methodological value-free perspective, this article examines the relationship between fishery management and the structure of marine capture fishery sector in Japan. It defines the former as the means and the latter as the end, in formulating such sector fitted for the policy objectives. The study reaffirms that Japanese-style co-management tends to maintain the existing structure of the fishery, which places priority on its social significance. In this context, Weber’s value-free argument is proven to be useful in neutrally reviewing the relationship between policy objectives and specific management tools, which induces orderly arguments for Japan’s fishery.