As China is expected to lift its ban on imports of Japanese beef, it is necessary to analyze the kinds of Chinese consumers who highly value Japanese Wagyu beef. In this study, we used CVM to analyze the attributes of consumers who prefer marbled and red meat, and obtained knowledge that can be used as a reference for meat exporters. The estimation results show that high-income consumers prefer marbled meat, while middle-income consumers prefer red meat, thus confirming the possibility of segregation by income bracket.

The Movement for Rural Reconstruction (Nosan-Gyoson-Keizai-Kosei-Undo) was carried out to uplift Japanese rural areas impoverished by the Showa Depression. The main rural executive organizations involved in the movement were agricultural execution associations. This study examines the activities of agricultural execution associations by focusing on Kakinoki Village in Shimane Prefecture. Agricultural execution associations were organized in each hamlet, and various plans were made to improve agricultural production and home living. In particular, the organizations worked on punctuality, tax payments, and savings. Kakinoki’s movement improved agricultural production and home living, and strengthened solidarity among rural residents. It also provided women with opportunities for public participation. This was a consequence of a movement based on subsistence agriculture.

This study investigated the relationship between social capital (trust attitude) and the degree of fishermen’s participation in priority associations in villages near the MPA. To measure social capital, fishermen were asked to rate their level of trust in: fellow villagers in matters of lending and borrowing (Trust1), another member of a priority association in matters of lending and borrowing (Trust2), and barangay officials (Trust3). Correlation and path analyses were used to test the relationships between trust attitudes, degree of participation, and associated exogenous variables. The fishermen actively participated in the activities of the association. The data analysis showed that trust attitude variables were significantly correlated with each other, but that the degree of participation was only significantly correlated with Trust1 and Trust2. Household size and years of residence were significantly associated with the degree of participation in fishermen’s organizations.

In this study, we developed a new transport-assistant robot with tracking and autonomous driving functions. The purposes of this study are 1) to evaluate labor savings and 2) to evaluate the economic efficiency of the robot in a mandarin orchard. The results of the labor-saving effects were as follows: the time required for fertilizer application, herbicide application, and harvesting and transport with the introduction of the robot was reduced when compared to the conventional method. The results of the economic evaluation of nine people in a mandarin orchard are follows: 1) In the “labor-saving model,” which estimates the effect of reduced work hours, the income of the “labor-saving model” was not significantly different from the conventional model; and 2) in the “farmland expansion model,” in which farmland is expanded to the limit the work hours of nine people, the income of the farmland expansion model was higher than in the conventional model.

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures are among the most frequent nontariff measures (NTMs) confronting agricultural trade. To ensure food and environmental safety, governments and international institutions have established Maximum Residue Limitations (MRLs) for regulating pesticide use. However, the national regulation of MRLs varies from country to country. This has become a barrier to the agricultural trade, making it difficult to measure its impact on agricultural trade.

In this study, a nonlinear aggregation index, the Bilateral Heterogeneity Index (BHI), was employed to investigate the impact of MRL regulatory heterogeneity on ASEAN’s fruit exports. According to the results, the regulatory heterogeneity of MRL between trading partners leads to a decrease in ASEAN fruit exports. The impact of regulatory heterogeneity acts differently for different entities; countries with small trading scales suffer much more negative impacts than larger exporters.