I agree with Takamitsu Sawa's remarks in his Dec. 7 article, "Agriculture must be rebuilt ahead of oil's 'noble' limits." Japan's industrialization in the 1960s had a crucial flaw: Mild areas where farmers could cultivate crops year-round were industrialized while farming continued in areas that had cold winters, such as Hokkaido and Tohoku. Even if we have efficient machines and instruments, we cannot feel satisfied physically and psychologically without cheap, fresh food. I do hope the Democratic Party of Japan is thinking about this.
Farmers need sufficient support from the government. Improving food self-sufficiency should come before information technology and robots. I'm saddened to see more neighborhood fields being developed into residential areas.
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