The Japanese food manufacturing industry has been expected to strengthen the country's industrial competitiveness and local economy revitalization. This article examines the technological capability and profitability of food manufacturing companies in Hokkaido, which is considered one of the most active food production areas in Japan. Financial information and one output from innovation activities, specifically patent information, have been utilized and analyzed. The analysis revealed four findings. First, very few strong relationships were seen between the sales amount and net profit to sales of Hokkaido food manufacturing companies. Many small and medium companies with high profitability were prevalent. Moreover, although food companies in the Tokachi district were smaller in size, they achieved higher profitability compared to food companies in Sapporo City. Second, food companies who possess patents showed higher profitability than those who do not possess patents. Third, food companies with high technological indicators such as the number of patent examinations and cited patents seemed to be capable of further increasing their business performances. Fourth, the technological capability of the whole region including Sapporo City and the Tokachi district showed an increasing trend in general. Although the Tokachi district still had a small number of patent applications, this area exhibited rapid improvement in its technological capability.

抄録全体を表示

Japan imports almost all grains required except for rice and wheat. Japanese tends to get nervous about crop failures in major exporting countries.
The adjustment process of supply and demand is very complex. Grain producers are unable to increase supply offhand even if consumptive demand is boosted since they grow grains once a year. Grain importers have to wait for the next planting season. We need to be prudent to apply a simple statistical model to the reality. However, we can learn the fact from experience that prices have the ability to assume certain outcomes over the long run. This paper can illustrate the adjustment process of supply and demand and how grain prices are to be determined in the market.
In order to analyze the price structure, the author has to address three critical points of reference, namely, fundamental, technical, and political market forces. Technical factors impact on the grain market once in a while. A typical example manifested itself in 2015. As for fundamentals, prices move seasonally. Firstly, weather markets June through August and secondly, demand-oriented markets October through December - November through March the size of Southern hemisphere crops will affect prices in that period.
Demand and supply are closely related to global stocks which act as a buffer in the price determination process. Global ending stocks play an important role in market. In addition, prices are influenced by the weather and a certain balance between demand and supply. Supply is a function of the weather and producer price - the author notices it as average farm prices. Higher prices encourage producers to grow more profitable grains. Demand increases on account of government policies or regulation changes as well.
Close, careful, extensive, multi-directional observation of grain prices can teach us a lot.

抄録全体を表示

This symposium highly attempts to investigate not only the influences of TPP agreement in agricultural sector on food, agriculture, and regions; but also the reaction to TPP. Specifically, we focus on three issues. First, it is the increase of import and the reduction of the domestic agriculture due to TPP. The second is the broad impact on the food manufacturing industry as well as the food merchandising. The last point is about effects of TPP on the region and regional economies. In addition, we would like to discuss how the agricultural sector and areas respond to TPP. There are four speakers to report the above mentioned points. The following discussions are based on the comments on these presentations.

抄録全体を表示

This article aims to reveal the roles of pre-determined negotiating rules, which condition Japan's agricultural liberalization commitments in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. Specifically, it is hypothesized that the “setting of ex-ante tariff elimination ratio of 95 percent on a tariff line basis” as a cause of substantial progress in Japan's agricultural liberalization, and “assigning the rights to terminate negotiations to the preceding TPP participants” as a source of an early conclusion of the negotiations over Japan's agricultural products. The validity of the former hypothesis is proved by a qualitative analysis, which combines in-depth examination of non-official documents and the confirmation of correspondence between the expected and actual number of agricultural tariff lines in Japan's commitments. The latter hypothesis is supported by a quantitative analysis employing an ordered-probit regression model, which implies that Japan's meaningful concessions in agricultural products are limited to the preceding TPP participants who have the rights to terminate negotiations. This article contributes to the literature by not only indicating the existence of pre-determined rules in the TPP negotiations but also investigating the implications of those rules on the negotiation results through solid qualitative and quantitative analyses.

抄録全体を表示

This report examined the following two points When the globalization of the dairy products market of Japan greatly progresses by TPP agreement, the domestic dairy industry comes under what kind of influence, and what kind of problem do they face in the near future? What kind of measures should be prepared for to maintain stability of the dairy farming and dairy industry of Japan when assume them a precondition? The basic point at issue of that case is three items. 1) Reinforcement of the dairy farming infrastructure. 2) Stabilization of dairy farming management. 3) The correspondence to the change of the external factor over dairy farming and the dairy industry to show a stronger volatility. In addition, this report overlooked the present situation of the Japanese dairy farming and gave an outline that was the basic condition.

抄録全体を表示

The purpose of this paper is to describe how the information about trade negotiation and its countermeasures of TPP affected on the behaviors and decisions of large-scale upland farmers. In Tokachi Hokkaido, on which we focused, farmers have improved its productivity and reduced the production cost through production restructuring and expansion of production scale. Their activities are results of the response to the trade liberalization of agricultural products. However the impact of TPP on Tokachi upland farming is not clear, their investment for expansion of production scale and the introduction of new technologies are in progress. In this sense, the farmers' challenges to response to trade liberalization in large-scale upland farming area are not only for TPP. Their challenge can also be seen on the association of small business entrepreneurs of Tokachi. The division of farmers of the association is trying to strengthen the collaboration between major retailers of not only domestic market but also the market in Asian countries. Those are remarkable activities.

抄録全体を表示

Facing the decreasing trend of domestic food demand and also the share of domestic products, market penetration to abroad is one of the urgent strategies for domestic agricultural producers. This study firstly examines the possibilities of it with checking the fruits of EPA and TPP negotiations briefly. Secondly, it is revealed that branding and promotion strategies become structural problems among individual producing area brands and All- Japan brand as an umbrella brand. To show the criteria of selecting a branding strategy, strategic choice of advertise and promotion by umbrella brand and each area brands in sequential game is examined. And the criteria is explained mainly by the signs of advertise and promotion's spillover effect and strategic effect.

抄録全体を表示

Meal supply and delivery services in close partnerships with medical and welfare businesses are considered to be social enterprises by nature. Registered dietitians working at these sites provide health-related information, conduct nutritional management, as well as R&D and scientific verification of therapeutic and nursing-care food. However, the partnerships with agriculture have not yet deepened, and the agriculture business only provides cut vegetables to the medical and welfare businesses. Easing of regulations may be necessary to allow therapeutic food delivery by hospitals, and to improve safety and efficiency of school lunches.
JA-led welfare businesses with an eye to activating the community are expected to be improved by working hand-in-hand with Welfare Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives in rural areas. On the other hand, Co-op is expected to expand the welfare businesses of day-care services or special elderly nursing homes, and to integrate them with meal supply and delivery services in urban areas.

抄録全体を表示

The deterioration of meal supply services at medical, welfare, and nursing-care facilities has accelerated the introduction of new cooking systems and the outsourcing of meal supply services. The harmonization of meal criteria and standardization of a nutrition summary are required for menu development of therapeutic and nursing-care food, and patterns and cycles of menus must be formulated. Commonality of cooking items between hospitals and central kitchens is also essential for stabilization of production and cost reduction. Furthermore, strengthening of cooperation among meal providing facilities, foodstuff producers, and public administration may accelerates the establishment of menu chain.

抄録全体を表示

Watami Co., Ltd. has diversified its scope of business ranging from agriculture businesses to chain store expansion of pubs, welfare and nursing-care facilities, as well as home-delivery services through implementing central kitchens nationwide. Registered dietitians working at the company have strived to develop nursing-care food with special attention to safety of food physical properties, utilization of foodstuffs that are easy to eat, and nutritional values. With growing necessity in nutrition support for elderly people with at-home care, the company intends to establish a nutrition care management system by capitalizing on its know-how developed through its meal delivery and nursing care businesses.

抄録全体を表示

Nissin Healthcare Food Service Co., Ltd., as a leading company of health care food service business, has provided meal services to medical, welfare, and child-care facilities, and has expanded its scope of business into home-delivery meal services. The outsourcing of food supply services has proceeded for the purpose of service improvement, operational efficiencies, and cost reduction, and the customers' demands have stretched to menu development, foodstuffs procurement as well as management of human resources. The company offers meals prepared with both cook-chill and cook-served systems with proper balance, and is planning to start providing high eating-quality soft food prepared with the cook-chill method to the elderly.

抄録全体を表示