ABSTRACT
Maximising agricultural intervention means that the MAFF strives to maximise regulatory controls over the agricultural economy, maximise direct participation in agricultural and related markets, and maximise expenditure on the agricultural sector. These generic goals translate into a number of core agricultural policy imperatives that are interrelated and which have guided and informed MAFF policy formulation over the years. The so-called ‘three pillars’ of MAFF agricultural policy are rice market control, budget subsidies and limited foreign access to Japan’s agricultural markets.
