This paper is an attempt to estimate income elasticities of food expenditure in the farm sector, by using both original and published reports of farm household surveys conducted in 1935 and 1936. The parameters thus estimated indicate, first, that tenant farmers, who (according to my theory) represent the average nationwide farming population, spent much of their income on rice as their staple diet, and on fish and shellfish as subsidiary items. These were foods that had been favored by many since the seventeenth century, and the estimated results suggest that increased earnings were used for the consumption of such traditional items. This pattern seems to have continued until the mid-1950s since the elasticity estimates are similar to those computed by Yasuhiko YUIZE for the 1955 survey. Second, owner farmers, who were regarded as well above the average, spent their income not only on other staple foods, but also on items such as meat, dairy products and eggs. This pattern is similar to the one found for 1960, as revealed by YUIZE'S research. Third, the estimated elasticities on Western-style 'luxury' foods, non-traditional seasonings and fruits were greater than 1.0 for both the owner and tenant farmer classes. This implies that westernization of food expenditure began only on the periphery of food consumption.
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