Abstract
Two factors have historically influenced the measures for food risks in terms of sufficiency: economic factors such as developments in commodity economy and distribution systems, and political factors such as effective governance systems. Japan has formulated a unique concept of food security emphasizing the food self-sufficiency ratio against the background of its rapid economic growth and increasing dependence on imported food. However, this paper shows that there exist various possible hazards to food security in terms of sufficiency, which would include household affordability and access, food chain resilience, and availability and access to food import in addition to total food supply. The Great East Japan Earthquake triggered lively risk research in various science areas. Empirical studies based on a risk analysis framework shall be necessary also for this research area.
