In August 2026, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture announced a new number: 37%.
This is Japan's food self-sufficiency rate based on calories. It fell one point from the previous year and reached a record low.
In 1965, the rate was 73%. In just over 60 years, it has fallen by 36 points.
Our eating habits have changed, and the rate has continued to fall. We have talked about this problem many times. But we have simply watched it get worse.
And now, 37%.
How many Japanese people hear this number and feel that something is seriously wrong?
For years, we have often chosen cheaper imported food instead of thinking about the importance of safe, locally grown food.
If this has brought us to where we are today, perhaps we should first look at ourselves.
One major reason is that we eat less rice
Rice is still one of the few foods that Japan can produce almost 100% by itself.
But Japanese people eat much less rice than before.
In 1962, each person ate about 118.3 kg of rice a year. In recent years, the amount has fallen to around 50 kg. It is less than half of what it was.
At the same time, we eat more meat, dairy products, wheat, cooking oil, and other foods that depend heavily on imports.
Our eating habits have changed.
And because of that, Japan's food self-sufficiency rate has also fallen.
But that is not the whole problem.
There is a deeper weakness behind these numbers.
Even "Japanese food" depends on other countries
Much of the raw material used to make chemical fertilizer comes from other countries.
About 90% of vegetable seeds used in Japan are also produced overseas.
So even when food is grown in Japan, the farming behind it may depend on other countries for fertilizer, seeds, animal feed, and fuel.
If there is a war, a weak yen, or serious problems with transportation, Japanese farming could also be badly affected.
In other words, the 37% figure does not show the whole story.
Japan's food system may be weaker than the number suggests.
Small farms in mountain areas have value beyond efficiency
After World War II, the way Japanese people ate changed greatly.
Bread became more common through school lunches, and later, Western-style food became more popular.
At the same time, the number of farmers fell, farmers became older, and there were fewer young people taking over farms.
This problem is especially serious in mountain areas, where large machines and large farms are more difficult.
Large rice farms in flat areas are important. They can produce rice efficiently, and we need more efficient farming in the future.
But small rice fields and rice terraces in mountain areas are also important.
By keeping these fields, we help protect water, prevent floods and landslides, and keep local communities and beautiful landscapes alive.
These are values that cannot be measured only by efficiency.
We need both.
Large farms in flat areas.
Small farms in mountain areas.
Protecting both is important for Japan's food supply.
The answer is not so difficult. Choose Japanese food. Support local farms.
That is where we have to start.
Whenever I work in the soil or stand in a rice field, I strongly feel this.
Protecting our country is not something far away from us.
It starts with something very simple.
What do we eat today?
Every meal can help support Japanese farmers.
And beyond that meal is something much bigger:
Japan's food security.