The Theoretical Basis on the Improvement in Food Self-sufficiency Ratio and its Effect on Food Imports

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Food self-sufficiency ratio in Japan has dropped to 40% in calorie basis though the people seem to be very interested in food security. The decline of the ratio results mainly from the following two factors; changes in the dietary pattern to rise in the consumption of livestock products and fat, and substituting homemade meals with convenience food and eating-out. Japanese people also have a taste in domestic products because of their security-oriented food consumption.The purpose of this study is to investigate the theoretical basis on the improvement in Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio and to evaluate its effect on food imports in Japan.The outline of the results is as follows;1. The changes in the dietary pattern and the substitution mentioned above are confirmed empirically by the related statistics.2. From the demand-side analysis, Japanese people have a taste in domestic products, which is expected in going up the food self-sufficiency ratio. On the other hand, falls in the level of cooking skill and shrinking family size in Japanese household have made the ratio going down.3. From the supply-side analysis, the C. I. F. prices for food imports into Japan are partly affected by the policy for domestic farmers in some export countries. The result shows that the market for food trade does not work competitively and the strategic behavior of the export countries are effective in getting an additional profit.