Development and constraints of food industries in Japan.
Uehara, H.;
JIRCAS International Symposium Series Year: 1999 Issue: No. 7 Pages: 201-218 Ref: 15 ref.
1999
บทคัดย่อ
The development of the food processing industries in Japan can be expressed in terms of changes from traditional food production for self-sufficiency during the pre-modern period to the production of modern differentiated products by the introduction of modern technologies that have been imported, adapted, and developed in their own ways. Thus, today there is a coexistence of both traditional and modern types of producers supplying their own products in the market. This line of development is due to the constraints on the conditions of raw material suppliers, as well as changes in consumption patterns of consumers. Japanese food processing firms are generally small in terms of number of employees and value of output per unit. Among the developed countries, Japan has the largest number of food processing firms of which 95.1% consist of small-scale ones. These small firms are located in many prefectures, serving local consumers and households. On the other hand, there are small numbers of exceptio
nally large establishments, such as flour mills, sugar and fish processing plants. They receive stable supplies of raw materials in large amounts, and the procurement problem is relatively minor. Although recently the number of small-scale firms has tended to decrease, the characteristics of structural dichotomy in the industry still prevail strongly. As a result, the industry is confronted with many problems, such as high cost of production and relative disadvantage in trade with large retailers, in addition to raw material supply problems, environmental concerns related to the disposal and recycling of packages, and increasing competition from other countries as Japanese currency has appreciated. The development and constraints of the Japanese food industries are discussed in terms of the food system concept.