They are the worst, even worse than ours.
Think of the Japanese countryside as one big Colonial Williamsburg human theme park writ large.
“Subsidized” is inadequate to describe the situation.
I’ve always felt we should adopt a “Write your own tariff!” policy. Whatever tariff you slap on our goods, well, that’s your tariff, too. I’d love to see this take place.
I really don’t blame the Japs for subsidizing their agriculture the way they do. Japan is an Island nation and if something big happens tomorrow (NORKS CHICOMS)and they are cut off they need to feed themselves. It’s a matter of survival and something WE need to think about more in regard to our own Country.
“In a move pitting Japanese farmers against the nation’s export industries, Prime Minister Naoto Kan is pushing to join negotiations for an American-backed free-trade zone called the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would span the Pacific Rim. The new zone would give Japanese exporters of cars, televisions and other manufactured goods greater access to the United States and other markets.”
This article reads like the Wall Street Journal circa 1986. I’m not sure why they’re still debating about giving Japanese goods greater access to the American market. It’s a little too late to save our consumer electronics industry. RCA, Zenith, and Sylvania are gone.
In fact, there isn’t much of a consumer electronics industry in Japan anymore, either. Yeah, the companies still exist (unlike ours), but they make a ton of stuff in China. As an example, I’m typing this on a Toshiba laptop. Where was it made? Not in Japan.
Now, about the Japanese farms. Protectionism is something that has to be used with care. You utilize tariffs as a temporary measure to save an industry hammered by unfair trade practices, but if you leave them in place permanently, you end up creating this ridiculous system we see in Japan that’s somewhere between monopoly capitalism and socialism. Since these farmers have no competition, they can charge well above market price for their crops.
Strategic resource, and a integreal part of culture. At what cost does the World accept Free Trade. So if the trade stops or is disrupped a nation straves, and before that it loses its peoples ties to the land.
I would be very surprised if anything changes. Farmers in Japan are a political force to be reckoned with, and I strongly doubt that the current government will change anything.
I Thought that the reason Japanese people eat home grown rice is because it tastes better? They buy what they prefer.
At least that was the reason put forward for the tariff 25 years ago.