1st Edition

Japanese Agriculture A Comparative Economic Analysis

    Food prices in Japan are extremely high by international standards, and its agricultural sector is beset by low productivity. This book determines what the real level of Japanese agricultural productivity is by comparing it with other developed countries and with less developed countries. Japan has set itself the goal of catching up with the European Community in agricultural productivity, and so the book makes an extended comparison of Japanese and Dutch agriculture to try and determine the likelihood of this happening. Extended inter-country comparisons with Taiwan and the United States are also undertaken.

    The book analyses how various political and economic factors have interacted to prevent Japan achieving high agricultural productivity at the same time as it was experiencing remarkable growth in its industrial productivity. Solutions to the current problem are suggested and the book concludes by discussing the relevance of Japan's experience to other developing economies.

    1. Introduction 2. Sectoral Productivity Performance in International Perspective 3. International Comparison of Agricultural Productivity 4. Agricultural Development in Japan and the Netherlands 5. How Productive is Japanese Agriculture? - In-Depth Comparisons of Productivity in Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan the the USA 6. The Eclipse of Japanese Agriculture 7. Prospects for Japan's Agriculture 8. Relevance of Japan's Post-War Development for Developing Countries

    Biography

    Cornelius van der Meer, Saburo Yamada

    `...the book provides a unique perspective of Japanese agriculture in an international context, as well as a valuable contribution to the literature in international productivity comparison.' - Tijdschrift voor Sociaal-Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek in de Landbouw

    `The book is a welcome addition to several recent studies on Japanese agricultural problems.' - American Journal Agricultural Economics

    `This superbly professional work is a model of its kind and a pleasure to read.' - The Journal of Asian Studies

    `Of the many comparative studies of Japanese agriculture, this is certainly one of the most impressive.' - The Developing Economies