Japan's agricultural policy regime

Written by the world's leading expert in the field, this book examines the evolution of Japanese agricultural policy in the post-war period, focusing particularly from the 1970s onwards when both domestic and external pressures for reform began to intensify. The author explains how the MAFF has safeguarded their institutional capacity to intervene by accommodating both public interest in agricultural policy reform alongside the interests of government in maintaining agricultural support and protection. The book provides a major reinterpretation of agricultural policy, examining how the MAFF's role as an 'intervention maximiser' has been redefined in the face of continued bureaucratic involvement. Making available in English for the first time Japanese policy changes in the post-war period, the book will appeal to political economy specialists and political scientists, and those with an interest in Japanese politics and bureaucratic institutions.

1 Introduction Bureaucratic Dependencies and Strategies of Intervention-Maximising Maximising MAFF Intervention in the Process of Agricultural Policy Reform 2 The Agricultural Policy Regime in Historical Perspective Maximising Ministry Intervention within Constraints Maximising Ministry Intervention in Historical Perspective The Agricultural Basic Law Incremental Liberalisation of Food Control Agricultural and Rural Public Works Conclusion 3 Agricultural Policies From the Late 1970s to the Late 1980s Antipathetic Trends in the Agricultural Policy Environment Fiscal Pressures on the Food Control System Appreciation of the Yen The Maekawa and Other Reports Pressures for Agricultural Trade Liberalisation The MAFF's Policy Response Deregulating the Food Control System and Cutting Costs De-Emphasising Price Supports and Fostering Core Farmers Embracing Internationalisation Further Reductions in Price Support Agricultural Trade Liberalisation Conclusion 4 Agricultural Policies from the late 1980s to the late 1990s The MAFF's Policy Response Reforming the Food Control System The New Policies Rejecting Rice Tariffication at the GATT The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture The URAA Countermeasures Package Agricultural Support and Stabilisation Price Trends The New Food Law The New Rice Policy Agricultural trade liberalisation and APEC Conclusion 5 Agricultural Policies from the Late 1990s The MAFF's Policy Response Early Rice Tariffication New Rice Production Control Measures Preparing for the New Basic Law The New Basic Law Evaluating the New Basic Law Applying the New Basic Law i) Securing Stable Supplies of Food ii) Market Determination of Agricultural Prices iii) Direct Payments to Disadvantaged Areas v) Agricultural Trade Policy The Basic Plan The Drive for Efficiency and Accountability in Subsidised Works Expenditure Direct Income Supplementation The 'Takebe Private Plan' Invoking Import Safeguards The BSE Scandal Structural Reform Special Zones The Rice Policy Reform Outline WTO Agricultural Trade Policy Bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) The Entry of Ordinary Jointstock Companies into Farming The New Basic Plan Conclusion