Fast food Japanese-style


Office workers grab a bite to eat before the long commute home from Shinjuku station.Japan is the world's second biggest economy but it struggles to produce enough food.
The government says only 39% of the food the Japanese need is grown in Japan.
In contrast Britain produces 70% of the food its population needs and France more than 120%.

Crowded country


There are about 128 million people in Japan, many of them crowded into huge cities like Tokyo.How to feed them is an issue that really worries the Japanese government.
Japan ranks 124th in the world in terms of food security, and as the global population continues to grow there is more competition for resources.
Japan's reliance on food imports means that any ill-effects of global warming on food production could be felt keenly here.

Ageing population


Visitors to temples in Japan waft "holy smoke" over their body when they feel sick in the hope that it will cure them.Japan’s population is ageing fast: in 1990 there were almost six people of working age for each retiree, but by 2025 that number will have fallen almost to two.
But as the population ages, there will be fewer people able to grow food or pay for imports.
Japanese longevity is thought to be due in part to the nation's healthy post-war diet of rice and fish

Changing habits


But one reason for the fall in the food self-sufficiency rate in Japan is the changing dietary habits of the Japanese.Today their diet is becoming increasingly westernised.
Their fondness for burgers, and pizza and other western dishes means they are eating more fat and protein than they used to and much of that has to be imported.
Studies show that like other nations, they are eating more processed food, and eating out more in restaurants.

Educating consumers


Japan's government is trying to tackle the problem by educating consumers.It is promoting the health benefits of a diet based on rice and fish.
It is encouraging people to appreciate the quality of Japanese produce and not to be too fussy - a lot of food in Japan is thrown away because of slight blemishes.
Restaurants and food companies are also being encouraged to promote food made in Japan.

Declining agriculture


Japan grows just about enough rice, potatoes and vegetables to feed itself.But it has to import huge amounts of wheat, beans, fruit and most of its animal feed.
Japan is only able to produce roughly half the meat the country needs and its fishermen catch just half the fish needed.
In the years after World War II, about half of Japan's economic effort was agricultural. Today the sector has shrunk to just 1%.

Farmland sold


The high-rise neon-wrapped skyline in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo is some of the most expensive real estate in the world.As Japan's economy grew in the second half of the last century, many farmers found they could make more by selling their land for use in industry or for housing.
Today, land is expensive everywhere.
But those crammed in to cities like Tokyo still need to be fed.

Sustainable tuna?


The Japanese consume about 25% of the world's stocks of tuna.The tuna themselves are such voracious eaters it takes around 4kg of small fish to produce 1kg of tuna, so some argue that consumers who want to make sustainable choices should avoid buying tuna.
A giant tuna can sell for the price of a small car, so the incentives for those involved in the trade to source fish caught illegally elsewhere are huge.

Illegal sushi
A tuna is sliced carefully with a long sword-like knife – the choicest cuts will be served as sashimi or sushi.As the world has developed a taste for these Japanese delicacies, the pressure on tuna stocks has grown.
Japan has introduced a scheme to track where the most highly prized species, Bluefin tuna, was caught.
It hopes this will help to stamp out illegal catches.


Text: Chris Hogg
Pictures: James Cope