It’s not a crisis, it’s just backwards-ass ethnonationalist bullshit. Disabuse the Japanese populace of the goofy “only Japan-grown rice is suitable for our very special and unique Yamato bodies” nonsense and the crisis disappears.
On top of this, given that:
Ultimately, Japan will need to figure out a long-term strategy since the average age of its farmers is 69, and the farming population has fallen by half over the past two decades to 1.1 million in 2024.
There are a LOT of people in Japan who would like to start (or take over existing) farms, but the system is stacked against anyone who isn’t a citizen. The Agricultural Land Act requires approval from local committees that favor established farmers- and the dinosaurs in rural villages would prefer their communities disappear than bear the horror of living next to foreigners, making it nearly impossible for newcomers to acquire farmland. Even forming a farming company demands that over half the directors be certified local farmers- a unrealistic hurdle given the circumstances. With no dedicated farming visa and no institutional support for newcomers, they’re “protecting tradition” at the expense of these same traditions by blocking foreign residents from contributing to its disappearing agricultural sector. Shit’s wild.
They are so xenophobic, that in the 19th century the US had to threaten to shell their government with a fucking warship to even get them to talk to them.
Stupidity, capitalism and conservatives (so a lot of stupidity).
