The wholesale market is the core infrastructure of Japanese fresh food distribution. However, the status of the wholesale market has declined due to changes in distribution in recent years. Currently, in order to increase the income of farmers to promote the efficiency of distribution, the government is promoting the reform of the fruit and vegetable distribution system, in particular regulatory reform of the wholesale market has become the focal policy point. This paper examines wholesale market trends and contents of regulatory reform. The paper points to the contents of these regulatory reforms, which include those that lead to the change of the basis of the wholesale market system, and points out that it is necessary to consider measures to expand the functions of the wholesalemarket.

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This paper analyzes factors for the 2016 revision of the raw milk for dairy products subsidy in Japan through performance analysis of the measure with the “Fixed Payment” formula adopted in FY2001 (the 2000 revision). The subsidy to dairy farming aimed to compensate agricultural income and stabilize milk products supply. The paper demonstrates that the subsidy system with the “Fixed Payment” formula has not satisfactorily achieved the goals of the 2000 revision, namely price making of raw milk and dairy products that reflect supply and demand factors, balancing supply and demand for raw milk, and compensation of dairy farmers' incomes. The 2016 revision expanded the amount of raw milk eligible for subsidies and adopted a deficiency payment formula to calculate the subsidy base unit. From a post-2015 political viewpoint, it appears that this revision has been implemented as a countermeasure against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. However, as implementation prior to the effective start of TPP suggests, it can be concluded that the 2016 revision has been essentially conducted to deal with dropping function of income compensation provided by the subsidy system in recent years. In addition, the consolidated subsidy base unit for three types of milk products (butter-skim milk powder, cheese, and cream), adopted in the 2016 revision, is expected to lessen the difficulty of balancing supply and demand in an agricultural cooperative's joint marketing of Hokkaido. The government has depended on planned quantitative adjustment by the cooperative because of no policy to control directly supply and demand.

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This paper clarifies the reason that distribution of sake-brewing rice through networks outside of sake brewers associations is increasing. For this purpose, the cases of such direct contract between farmer and sake brewery in Akita were investigated. Such direct deals have the benefit of being able to provide increased rice sales with higher prices for farmers, and the sake brewery gain the advantage of being able to purchase high quality rice. Under such direct contracts, sake breweries try to maintain the quality of sake rice by overseeing the cultivation process. For farmers, it became clear that direct contracts have an additional merit in that they do not have to bear the risk of yield fluctuation.

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In 2004, liberalization of the food distribution system in China occured. On this basis, brokerage dealers have come to play an important role in the corn market. As a result, various problems in corn distribution have been solved and overall distribution has become more efficient. The development of private food companies since 2010 lowered the cost of corn distribution within the producing area. This liberalized distribution system made it easy for brokers to execute a sales role for the corn farmers. This modern style of the development of brokers and private food distribution companies led to increased corn distribution market efficiency. The present research analyzed the current elements of the corn distribution market of China, focusing on the new role of the brokers and private food distribution companies in the market to explain the characteristics of corn distribution transition from 2010.

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The pruned branches disposed by fruit growers and garden planters (PBD) is controlled by the non-industrial business wastes of the Japanese waste disposal law, and the proper processing is required of both enterprises and municipal governments. Burning of business wastes on fields was principally prohibited by revision to the law in 2000, with an exception that PBD could be burned where necessary to carry on agriculture. Therefore burning of PBD continues in many areas. However, under conditions of increasing urbanization, residents complain about the smoke, the bad smell, etc. Under such circumstances, city governments guide farmers in PBD processing and disposal that is compatible with environment protection. Former studies on this issue have not included assessments of exceptional permission, and differences of urbanization with corresponding administration. This study considers these aspects from the angle of vein industrial market. The study clarifies the following conclusions. 1) Disposed PBD is a special case in terms of total agricultural disposal and thus it is difficult to form a vein industrial market. 2) Continuation of PBD processing businesses is difficult because of the seasonality of disposal and due to combined PBD processing of gardening, roadside and park trees together or with other waste treatment. 3) Processing of compost or chips using PBD tends to change to processing business for gardening, roadside trees from processing for fruit growers, etc. 4) Processing tends toward patterns of multiplicity such as piling up or burning on the field, making compost or chips, processing for biomass fuel, etc. This is influenced by urbanization and the availability of processing or energy generating facilities. 5) Conversion to an arterial market by biomass generating electricity of PBD chips using Feed-in Tariffs has begun to develop in some areas.

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