World Grain - November 2016 - 22

COUNTRY FOCUS

Focus on Japan
Nation is an industrial giant, but its grain
production is small and imports are
needed to feed the population
by Chris Lyddon

According to an attaché report published earlier this year, Japan's wheat production in 2015 was up 17% to 996,200 tonnes.
"Despite a 1% - or 800 hectare - decrease in the planted area, production in Hokkaido increased 31% to 723,800
tonnes thanks to good weather, marking a record yield of 5.9
tonnes per hectare," the report said. "Production in the remaining prefectures declined 10% to 272,400 tonnes due to
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-hectare increase in the planted area.
"Since wheat is produced as part of a crop rotation in Hokkaido, normally accounting for 60% of national wheat production, a sizable increase in the planted area is not possible
despite increasing demand for domestic wheat in recent years.
Thus, the planted area is expected to remain unchanged in
2016, and the production volume is forecast to decline 17%
assuming average yield."
The International Grains Council (IGC) puts Japan's total
grains imports at 22.7 million tonnes in 2016-17, up from 22.1
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of rice imports, up from 5.6 million the year before. Maize
imports for 2016-17 are put at 10 million
RUSSIA
tonnes, up from 9.5 million the year before.
Barley imports for 2016-17 are forecast at
1.3 million tonnes, up from 1 million the
MONGOLIA
previous year. The country is also forecast
NORTH KOREA
to import 750,000 tonnes of sorghum, up
SOUTH KOREA
from 673,000; 50,000 tonnes of oats, up
JAPAN
from 48,000; and 30,000 tonnes of rye, up
TAIWAN
from 19,000.
Japan's wheat imports for 2016-17 will
VIETNAM
include an unchanged 200,000 tonnes of
durum, according to the IGC.
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for rice production with the 2016-17 crop put at 7.9
million tonnes, up from 7.6 million the year before.
It is also forecast to import 700,000 tonnes of rice in
2016-17, unchanged from 2015-16. Japan's rice exports are
steady at 100,000 tonnes
In 2016-17, Japan will import 3.1 million tonnes of soybeans, down from 3.3 million the year before. Soymeal im22

Key Facts
Capital: Tokyo
Population: 126,702,133 (July 2016 est.)
Religions: Shintoism 79.2%, Buddhism 66.8%, Christianity
1.5%, other 7.1%.
Note: Total adherents exceeds 100% because many people
practice both Shintoism and Buddhism (2012 est.).
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North
Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean
Peninsula.
Government: Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Economy: Over the past 70 years, government-industry
cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology,
and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP)
have helped Japan develop an advanced economy. Two
notable characteristics of the post-World War II economy
were the close interlocking structures of manufacturers,
suppliers, and distributors, known as keiretsu, and the
guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion
of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding
under the dual pressures of global competition and
domestic demographic change. A small agricultural sector is
highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the
highest in the world. While self-sufficient in rice production,
Japan imports about 60% of its food on a caloric basis.
For three decades, overall real economic growth had been
impressive - a 10% average in the 1960s, 5% in the
1970s, and 4% in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly
in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of
the aftereffects of inefficient investment and an asset
price bubble in the late 1980s. Modest economic growth
continued after 2000, but the economy has fallen into
recession four times since 2008. In October 2015, Japan and
11 trading partners reached agreement on the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, a pact that promises to open Japan's economy
to increased foreign competition and create new export
opportunities for Japanese businesses. Led by the Bank
of Japan's aggressive monetary easing, Japan is making
progress in ending deflation, but demographic decline - a
low birthrate and an aging, shrinking population - poses a
major long-term challenge for the economy.
GDP per capita: $38,100 (2015 est.); inflation: 0.8%
(2015 est.); unemployment: 3.4% (2015 est.).
Currency: Yen (JPY): 103.83 yen per U.S. dollar (on Oct.
21, 2016).
Exports: $622 billion (2015 est.): motor vehicles 14.9%;
iron and steel products 5.4%; semiconductors 5%; auto
parts 4.8%; power generating machinery 3.5%; plastic
materials 3.3% (2014 est.).
Imports: $627.3 billion (2015 est.): petroleum 16.1%;
liquid natural gas 9.1%; clothing 3.8%; semiconductors
3.3%; coal 2.4%; audio and visual apparatus 1.4% (2014
est.).
Major crops/agricultural products: Vegetables, rice, fish,
poultry, fruit, dairy products, pork, beef, flowers, potatoes/
taros/yams, sugar cane, tea, legumes, wheat and barley.
Agriculture: 1.2% of GDP and 2.9% of the labor force.
Internet: Code: .jp; 118.453 million users.
Source: CIA World Fact Book

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