This paper traces the transformation that took place in consumer issues concerning rice in Japan during the dismantling of the Foodstuff Control System from the 1970s to the 1990s. The process involved the “two liberalizations,” the loss of a shared platform of consumer interests, and the dismantling of the national‒economy ideology, and thus reflects fundamental changes taking place in capitalism in this period.

Liberalization of domestic rice distribution was promoted from the end of the 1960s following the establishment of rice self‒sufficiency in Japan. Consumer activist groups generally opposed such liberalization, arguing against both the introduction of a semi‒controlled rice management system and the abolition of the application of the Price Control Ordinance to rice.

Therefore, until the mid‒1980s, while the business community called for lower rice prices through improved productivity, consumer activist groups favored using government subsidies to maintain the dual system of “producer rice prices” and “consumer rice prices”. In other words, they sought the coexistence of a low rice price for consumers and high rice prices for farmers. However, the consumer movement began to diversify from the 1970s, as more and more regional consumer groups had little interest in rice prices. These consumer groups focused instead on environmental issues and food safety.

In other words, for the time being, the consumer groups were losing the widely shared perspective that had united them However, this changed again after 1986, with the beginning of the GATT Uruguay Round negotiations. The Uruguay Round negotiations pressured the Japanese government to accept the import of rice. While business communities took the free‒trade position, many consumer activist groups strongly opposed rice imports. They sought to revive a so‒called national‒economy framework, rehabilitating the argument that rice was associated with Japan's unique history, culture, and traditions.

Following the governmental/political decision to accept the “second liberalization”, namely the import of rice, consumer activism once again lost its common target. Consumer issues became more diversified and fragmented, and it became extremely difficult to view the nation or society entirely through the lens of consumer issues. The experience of consumer activism over the liberalization of rice reflects the changes that took place in capitalism, the dismantling of the national‒economy ideology, and the fragmentation of consumer interests.

　我が国では，建設市場の国際化等を背景に，公共工事の入札で，透明性，公正性，競争性の確保を求める声が強まり，現在，国土交通省直轄工事のほとんどで一般競争入札・総合評価落札方式を適用している．一方で，2014（平成26）年6月の「公共工事の品質確保の促進に関する法律」改正を契機に，技術提案・交渉方式，事業促進PPP，災害復旧における随意契約・指名競争入札，フレームワーク方式等，多様な入札契約方式の適用が進みつつある．本研究は，国内外の公共調達制度の変遷を踏まえ，競争性の追求や，受注者へのリスクの移転に対する反省から，近年，受発注者のパートナーシップを重視した入札契約方式が国内外で活用される背景を分析し，国土交通省直轄工事における入札契約方式の選択と改善の新たな考え方を提案するものである．