- Today, the "Basic Law on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas," was passed in the Upper House, and thereby enacted into law. Based on a review of the current Basic Law on Agriculture, which was enacted in 1961, the new law sets basic principles and directions for policies in the areas of food, agriculture, and rural areas.
- While the phenomenon of globalization is rapidly proceeding, Japan finds itself with the lowest level of food self-sufficiency of any developed nation, and our country faces a host of problems related to food, agriculture, and rural areas, including the increasing depopulation and aging of mountainous areas. In the midst of this situation, in the lower house amendments were passed to the old law to (1) increase domestic agricultural production, and (2) raise the rate of food self-sufficiency. In addition, a special resolution was passed on the floor of the Upper House to express more clearly the legislature's ideas on the directions Japan should take in the future in policies on food, agriculture, and rural areas.
- RENGO has been aware of the necessity of the enactment of the new Basic Law on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas, and has called for the promotion of decentralization, the realization of the natural cyclical function of agriculture, a fundamental review of the budgeting process which is centered on public works, as well as the development of agricultural policies which take into account consumers, in areas such as the guarantee of food safety. What is needed today in agricultural policy is "to formulate new food, agriculture, and rural area policies with a basic purpose of creating vital agriculture and the reconstruction of rural areas. These policies should place major importance on the stable supply of safe foods at stable prices, the sustenance and improvement of self sufficiency and self-sufficient production, in preparation for a time of food shortages caused by a rapidly rising world population and other causes, and a proper balance between supply, self-sufficiency, imports, and reserves of foods."
- With the enactment of the new Basic Law on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas, the government is to formulate a "Basic Plan on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas," where it will set (1) basic guidelines for policies relating to food, agriculture, and rural areas; (2) targets for the rate of food self-sufficiency; and (3) measures regarding food, agriculture, and rural areas which need to be set in a comprehensive and systematic way. RENGO intends to strengthen our efforts in regards to the formulation of this Basic Plan.
- RENGO will, while addressing the issues related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries and to rural and fishing communities in linkage with the "Forum on Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Environment," a broad coalition of private organizations, make efforts to ensure that these issues are taken up as a national debate, and that people in urban, rural and fishing communities formulate views from their own regions and share these views. We will put all our efforts into ensuring a supply of safe food which people need not feel anxiety about, as well as price stability.
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