Grains prices throughout the world soared uncharacteristically from 2007 to 2008. This precipitated rioting throughout the world as people looked for food sources. This paper explains the changes that occurred in the Japanese livestock products market on the basis of the verifying factor in this recent grain price increase. The global cereals price depended on a crop managed in its natural condition and the amount of the end of a term stock till now. But, supply and demand of global grains has entered a new age from this century on the basis of the fact that the commodity market of the grains is now related to the crude oil and financial markets.

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The oil crisis of 2008 had severe implications for many agricultural farms and companies. Farmers, in particular, were distressed by the increasing costs for greenhouse heating and agricultural materials. This is seen as a structural problem in Japan, as farmers cannot determine the prices of own products on the basis of cost. In response, JA-Miyazaki (Federation of Miyazaki Prefectural Economic and Agricultural Co-operative) started an oil surcharge system for agriculture to overcome the problem. This paper considers this structural problem from economic and organizational viewpoints, and evaluates the oil surcharge system of JA-Miyazaki in order to clarify its importance and problems. The paper concludes that, because the scale of farms are not large enough to control the entire supply chain of their products and they are unable to form partnerships, Japanese farmers cannot overcome such structural problems. The paper also notes that the oil surcharge system of JA-Miyazaki succeeded, owing primarily to the excellence of the staff. Lasly, the paper notes that from now, the necessity of the risk hedges such as oil surcharge systems will be increasing.

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The management crisis in the Japanese fisheries that occurred in July, 2008 on the basis of the third oil crisis developed into the first "Fisheries Strike." This situation accurately portrays the seriousness of the management problem which the Japanese fisheries have now. However, it is important that this problem does not remain solely as a management crisis problem caused by the price increase of crude oil, but simultaneously as a structural factor of Japanese fisheries industry. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the economic structure of the Japanese fisheries industry which contributed to this management crisis from a long-term viewpoint. Indeed, that this problem was actualized by the jump of the price of the crude oil proves the nature of the problem in connection with the basis of the reproduction structure of such Japanese fisheries. In this paper, we analyzed from the viewpoint of both the fish products market and the fisheries production goods market, and clarified the mechanisms thereof by focusing on the post-1990s, when this crisis became increasing clear.

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This paper clarified the present conditions and problems of business reorganization that Chinese vegetable export companies wrestled with as a result of the decrease in Chinese vegetable exports to Japan. While vegetable orders from Japan decreased, Company D shifted exports to Thailand, abolished a direct management farm for exports and established a direct management farm for the Chinese market. The organic vegetables harvested on this newly-formed farm by multi-product production are sold by a delivery to homes along with direct sales to general merchandising stores and restaurants. Problems regarding losses due the mismatch of the supply and demand and limits of the target market size have arisen, but countermeasures are being taken. Highlighting the currency of such changes, there is now an expansion of the organic vegetables market in China.

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[in Japanese]

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This paper clarifies the impact of agricultural commercialization on income distribution through analysis of a case of the Mindanao Island of the Philippines. Our estimated results of the gini decomposition analysis clearly indicate that agricultural commercialization is neutral to income distribution. However, remedies to rectify wide income differences could be necessary in a situation where uneven income distribution results in a destabilization of Mindanao society.

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A series of investigations reveal that trading houses are performing brokerage business between production companies in China and wholesale dealers in Japan. It was found that the response behavior of the trading house either at the time or after the incidence of violation differs, depending on the degree of the importance of a violated item in the trading business, with two behavioral patterns identified. Furthermore, two behavioral patterns by trading houses are also observed on the basis of the subsequent response to the incidence of violation.

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The export Japanese pears to Taiwan is based on establishment of quality control systems in the Japanese orchards. This paper shows the possibility for export of branches as compensation for the costs and risks related to the establishment and development of such a quality control system. Branch export has two direct implications: the first relates to a change of waste product to salable goods and the second relates to the fact that branch exportation could help pear farmers in Taiwan. However, while Japanese branch export could enhance the growth of high-quality pears in Taiwan, the increase in production and quality will intensify the competition with and in Taiwan. Therefore, branch export expansion can also be considered an obstruction for Japanese pear export expansion. For Japanese Agricultural Co-operatives, the exports of pears and branches are different variety and enable the industry to evade direct competition with Taiwanese pears.

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This article clarifies factors affecting the level of household food security in the Bukidnon Province located in the northern part of Mindanao Island, the Republic of the Philippines. Results based on quantile regression analysis clearly indicate that education of household head, holding of assets, social capital, and backyard food production positively effect food security for food poverty households, with household size and existence of loans effecting security negatively.

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