Originally, the entire process of laver farming, producing seedling and farming and processing, were handled by individual farmers. In the late 1990s, however, many of the farmers faced investment decisions of tens of millions of yen for renewing automatic laver dryer machine. Reinvestment for processing facilities is based on the presence of their successors, sustenance of business and expansion of production scale. Some farmers seek their ways to cooperate as jointly managing or using processing facilities. From 2009, local fishery cooperatives began to operate consigned processing for small businesses, and expanding its role in integration of seaweed laver (“nori”) processing tasks for local farmers. Furthermore, there is an outsourcing of seedling production. It is said that the outsourcing rate of seedling production in Fukuoka Prefecture takes currently 70%.This is thought to indicate that low-priced market stability related to massificate to the domestic market and behaviors onto transactions from co-sales has led to a decline in motivation to invest in home-grown seedlings. We confirmed that changes in the domestic market, in other words, changes in laver farming business conditions, especially among small businesses, made an impact to change the traditional Japanese style of nori farming by separation and external dependence of specific operations.

This article explores the features of Japanese pattern (style) of fisheries management, by comparting it with other Japanese patterns, including those of economic-system, capitalism, employment, and diet. Cross-cutting comparison over these patterns founds common historical backgrounds and policy implications, which tend to maintain Japan’s identity and its social capital in an era of globalization. Consideration herein concurs the suggestion by professor Hamaguchi to reconsider the conventional paradigm of Japanese patterns, which is assumed to be in contrast with those of Europa and America. It also reminds us of the need of elaborated research design to examine the complexities of these patterns, so as not to make the argument be dogmatic without scientific significance, whatever the methodology of social science to be taken.