In the first drastic review of the so-called constitution for Japan's farm policies since its enactment in 1999, parliament on Wednesday passed into law an amendment to the basic law on food, agriculture and rural areas.
The revised law newly underscores the necessity of ensuring food security at a time when supply chains are being destabilized by factors such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, demanding that quality food be stably supplied at reasonable prices to each citizen.
"I will make every effort to create a system in which food can be made available to every citizen in the country," farm minister Tetsushi Sakamoto told reporters.
The amended law also puts emphasis on boosting the exports of farm products and other foodstuffs as a means to help the country maintain supply capacity, in light of an expected food demand drop due to the shrinking population.
Stably importing and stockpiling food is given priority as well.
For the domestic agricultural industry's sustainable development, the law calls for improving productivity and adding more value to products through promoting smart farming employing cutting-edge technologies.
It also requests redoubled efforts to reduce environmental burdens across production, processing, distribution and sales, and to revitalize farming villages so as to prevent regional communities from disappearing.