ABSTRACT
Japan's agricultural policy needs to address several extremely difficult tasks. Three major problems are pressing for solutions. The first is the overproduction of rice. Rice is Japan's most important agricultural product, accounting for approximately 40 percent of total agricultural production in 1975. Excess supply of rice began to appear from about 1968, and even though a policy of restricting supplies by means of large public subsidies to farmers was applied, the problem has persisted. Tendencies to overproduce have also appeared in products such as milk, mandarin oranges, and vegetables.
