The Consequences of Food Safety in Modern Japan

Shuji Hisano, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Hokkaido University
Raymond A. Jussaume Jr., Dept. of Rural Sociology, Washington State University
Yoshimitsu Taniguchi, Dept. of Sociology, Akita Prefectural Agricultural College

ABSTRACT

Analyses of changes in Japanese eating and dietary habits often focus on the unique, cultural elements of Japanese cuisine (e.g. eating eel on hot summer days), including those have some special cultural meaning (rice), or reflect the constant blending of Western and Japanese traditions (Teriyaki McBurger). There has been less interest in investigating the growth of Japanese consumer concerns about where food comes from and how it is prepared, although this is rapidly changing, as concerns about food safety have grown in recent decades.

Our paper utilizes the issue of consumer concerns about food safety in modern Japan as a vehicle for evaluating how Japanese food consumption and production practices are changing. The rise of the food safety in Japan is reflected in the growth of organic food production, the success of the Japanese consumer cooperative movement over the past 20 years, and the "greening" of the marketing strategies of many food firms. These changes have had a profound impact on how Japanese consumers view food, agriculture and the global trading system for food. Our manuscript delves into these issues by exploring the rise of the food safety movement in Japan within the context of theories of contemporary Japanese social change. The argument is made that consumer concern over food safety is reflective of strong cultural values placed on eating and health, and is thus strongly contexturalized within Japanese culture. We then explore how these changes in consumer values are impacting the structure of Japanese agriculture and its food delivery system.