Japan’s food self-sufficiency in 2024/25 remained at 38%

Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate for the 2024/25 fiscal year ending March 31 remained at 38%, unchanged from the previous year and below the government’s 2030 target of 45%, Reuters reported, citing a report from the country’s agriculture ministry.

This figure is one of the lowest among developed economies and highlights Japan’s vulnerability to food security risks at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, global fragmentation, and increasingly unstable weather.

Previously, the self-sufficiency rate, which measures the share of calories consumed that are produced domestically, was supported by rising sugar production thanks to increased beet and sugarcane production. However, these gains were offset by lower wheat yields and weaker production of soybeans, vegetables, and seafood due to unfavorable weather conditions such as high temperatures, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) reported.

Over the past decade, this ratio has fluctuated between 37% and 39%, despite government efforts to increase production of imported staples such as wheat and soybeans.

According to a ministry spokesperson, to achieve the 2030 goal, Japan intends to improve labor and land productivity by using advanced technologies to increase grain and vegetable production.

By comparison, the ministry estimates, based on the latest available data, that food exporting countries Australia, Canada, France, and the United States will have a self-sufficiency ratio of over 100% in 2022, while Germany’s self-sufficiency rate is 79%, the UK’s is 59%, and Italy’s is 52%.

Tags: Japan