Ayumi Kinezuka: "TPP and the dismantling of Japanese Agriculture"

Preface: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), perhaps the world's most ambitious free trade agreement, is currently under negotiation. What began as a small regional free trade agreement has become one of the primary tools in the United States' geopolitical pivot towards the Asia-Pacific region...

This "Food First Backgrounder" outlines the agreement's assault on democracy and food sovereignty and examines the TPP's likely impacts on food and agriculture in Japan, the latest country to join negotiations.


TPP and the Dismantling of Japanese Agriculture

By Ayumi Kinezuka

According to the Buddhist concept of “shindo-fuji,” a healthy body comes from healthy soil, so one must appreciate the environment one lives in. Japan has a strong food movement, rooted in shindo-fuji, promoting local production and consumption.

However, agricultural imports have been on the rise since World War II, severely undermining Japanese food production: in 1965, Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate was 73 percent, but by 2010, it had dropped to 39 percent. Japanese food self-sufficiency—now one of the lowest among OECD countries—is often explained as merely the result of changes in dietary preferences. Often missing in this discussion, however, is the tremendous pressure the US applied on Japan to accept surpluses of wheat, soybeans and corn following WWII.

The traditional Japanese diet—rice combined with locally produced vegetables and fish—constituted one of the biggest barriers to post-war US imports. To open up a market for US food products, Japanese diets had to change to include bread, meat and dairy products. Through the US-funded “Nutrition Improvement Action” program, people were told, “Eating rice makes you stupid! Eat Bread!” School lunch menus were westernized and “American Trains” and “Kitchen Cars” crisscrossed the country to promote a western diet.

Today, Japanese people consume 9.5 percent more wheat, 152 percent more animal products and 131 percent more fat than in the 1950s. According to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAFF), TPP would drop food self-sufficiency from 39 to 14 percent. Rice production would be hit severely. This could destroy Japanese agriculture and its rural culture.

Additionally, important land reform laws passed in the 1940s and 50s that safeguard farmers’ right to land have come under attack. Under pressure from the private sector, the government passed a revised land law in June 2009 cancelling the principle of “land to the tiller,” allowing non-farmers to own farmland and foreign capital to lease farmland. Deregulation under TPP would grant foreign investors further influence over national policies that protect farmers, farmland and rural communities.

The opposition against TPP in Japan encompasses a wide range of groups from progressive to conservative forces such as the Japan Agriculture and Fishery Organization, the Japan Medical Association and others. As much as 94 percent of prefectural assemblies and 80 percent of local city assemblies have passed resolutions against TPP. In Hokkaido, the opposition encompasses almost all groups and organizations in the prefecture, including the finance community.

Of the 13 political parties, seven are opposed to TPP and only one party is vocal about its support to TPP. Opposition transcends traditional political divisions, demonstrating that a broad political coalition against TPP is possible. To do that, we must increase international solidarity among farmers, citizens’ groups and local communities. The farmers of Japan hope to build strong alliances with groups and farmers in other TPP negotiating countries to stop corporate interests from destroying our agriculture and eroding our work for food sovereignty.

Ayumi Kinezuka is a young organic farmer in Shizuoka Prefecture. She studied psychology and sociology at UC Berkeley before returning home to carry on her family's tea farm.

She wrote this article for the Summer 2013 (Volume 19, No. 2) edition of Food First Backgrounder: "The Trans-Pacific Partnership: A Threat to Democracy and Food Sovereignty."  Food First Backgrounder is published by the Institute for Food and Development Policy, an Oakland-based think tank.

"We are not right-wing, we are not left-wing~ We are Ainu": First ever Ainu political party to be launched

Saturday, October 29th, 2011 marks a revolution in Japanese politics: the first time in Japanese history a minority group has announced it will form its own political party. After witnessing the success of minority and indigenous political parties around the world, members of the Ainu community in Hokkaido decided to create their own party to campaign for their issues.

Led by Shiro Kayano, the President of the Kayano Shigeru's Nibutani Ainu Museum (named after his late father), Hokkaido Ainu Association Board Member Hideo Akibe, Hokkaido Ainu Association Ebetsu City-branch head Yuji Shimizu and their supporters made the announcement at the Symposium on Multicultural Education in Japan hosted by the World Indigenous People's Network-Ainu in Sapporo. The party is not affiliated with the Hokkaido Ainu Association and will start functioning in January.

Flyer for Symposium on Multicultural Education with photos of Shiro Kayano (top left), Yuji Shimizu (center left), Hideo Akibe (center right), and Nomoto Hiroyuki (bottom left)

Shiro Kayano stated at the symposium:

What is needed for the Ainu people is unity. We need to unite the Ainu people and our supporters. Some people say that because we were traditionally hunters and gathers so we can not unite as one. However, we also practiced fishing and small-scale agriculture, so this argument holds no ground. We can unite.

The Ainu people have been no stranger to politics. Kayano's father, Shigeru Kayano, served as a House of Councilor's member from 1994 until 1998. While Shigeru Kayano was the only Ainu person that won a seat in parliament, other Ainu people have campaigned for seats including Kaori Tahara, a former member of the New Party Daichi.

Hideo Akibe added:

Having Shigeru Kayano in the parliament played a huge role in the enactment of the Ainu Culture Law in 1997. I feel it may be destiny, after the passing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and us holding the 2008 Indigenous Summit in Hokkaido, that this move to form a political party has come about.

Shiro Kayano further elaborated on the necessity for Ainu people to have their own political party where their issues are not overshadowed or ignored:

Ainu issues are put on the back burner while other issues gain more attention in Japan. Many people believe that the 1997 Ainu Cultural Law and 2008 parliament resolution to recognize Ainu as indigenous people solved the issues that Ainu people have faced, but in reality, they have not not. So, we need to rise up! Similar to the Arab Spring, maybe this marks the beginning of an Ainu Spring!

A member of the Planning Committee for the Ainu Party who wished to remain nameless explained that current governmental policies, laws, and panels on Ainu policy do not take adequate steps to realize any of the inherent indigenous rights to which the Ainu are entitled, nor any other priorities that Ainu have, including issues related to poverty and education. He also noted:

We hope that with an Ainu political party, not only can we push for policies that realize Ainu rights, but we can draw attention to the multicultural nature of Japan while pushing for policies that address a variety of Ainu issues.

Hiroyuki Nomoto, Tokyo Metropolitan University associate professor and member of the Planning Committee for the Ainu Party explained that although the policy stances of the party have not been decided, discussions have revolved around the following points:

• the restoration of Ainu rights
• the realization of the coexistence of multicultural groups in Japanese society
• the creation of a sustainable society based on harmony with Nature

The Ainu Party which is aiming to bring at least ten candidates to parliament in 2013, will help bring Ainu issues to the forefront of Japanese policy deliberations. It may also provide a platform for other minority groups, such as Zainichi Koreans in Japan to raise their voices against violations of their rights. Currently, Zaiinichi Korean organizations are campaigning for their schools to become accredited by the government. At present, with "international" English schools as an exception, any school that does not use Japanese as its main language cannot become accredited, forcing its students to jump through countless hurdles to matriculate into universities.

The idea behind the Ainu party is for Ainu people to unite to promote their own issues, while taking steps towards a multicultural Japan where all minorities can live in harmony. As Hideo Akibe explained: "We are not right-wing, we are not left-wing~ We are Ainu."

- Posted by Jen Teeter

Organic farmer from Fukushima & Hokkaido activists share their experiences & demand the evacuation of children from Fukushima & nuclear-free Japan

Via Beyond Nuclear: Aileen Mioko Smith (executive director of Green Action); Sachiko Sato (organic farmer from Fukushima); Kaori Izumi (director of Shut the Tomari Reactor); Yukiko Anzai (organic farmer from Hokkaido); and Kevin Kamps (Beyond Nuclear)...

See also: "Bringing the Plight of Fukushima Children to the UN, Washington and the World" (Aileen Mioko Smith with Mark Selden, The Asia-Pacific Journal, Oct. 10, 2011)

See Martin Frid's eco-blog Kurashi for coverage of Japan-wide June 11 anti-nukes events

Picnic-Demo in Sapporo
Follow Martin Frid's eco-blog Kurashi for English-language coverage of Japan-wide June 11 anti-nukes events:

I can't count the number of anti-nuclear demonstrations going on today all over Japan.

There are 2 big events in Tokyo, there is a "Peace Walking" parade in Date, Fukushima, as well as large events in Sapporo, Fukuoka and Yokohama. And many more places - I'm following a few of them as they use Twitter and upload photos. Live-blogging from your event? Let me know!

Those who have organized anti-nuclear protests in Tokyo and the organizations called e-shift and Fukushima Genpatsu Jiko Kinkyu Kaigi (Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Emergency Congress) are jointly calling citizens of not just Japan but the world for the action against nuclear power on the day of the three-month-anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster.

What is “e-shift”? (A society to fulfill denuclearization and new energy policy):

In the wake of the nuclear accident at Fukushima 1st plant on March 11, 2011, this society was established with groups and people who decided to fulfill denuclearization and the natural energy-oriented sustainable energy policy.

1. “Minimization of accident damage” and “Clarification where responsibility lies”

2. “Creation of recommendations for denuclearization and sustainable energy policy” and “Fulfillment of the recommendations”

3. “Transmission of valuable information to citizens “ and “Creation of social movements”

Ainu and Pacific Northwest Cultural Exchange at the Burke Museum, Washington State

Photo courtesy of the Ainu and Pacific Northwest Culture Exchange Facebook Page

An article in the Seattle based Northwest Asian Weekly featured an account of a recent meeting in Hokkaido between Native Americans of the Puget Sound region (and members of the Ainu Association of Hokkaido last week. This international cultural exchange sponsored by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture was launched in "an effort to support the revival of cultural heritage of the indigenous Ainu people of Japan."

Members who joined the journey to Sapporo, Nibutani, Akan, and Shiraoi included: Deana Dartt-Newton and Robin Wright (both curators from the Burke Museum), Lisa Marie Oliver (Quinault/Program Assistant), Anna Hoover (Aleut/Filmmaker), Dan Hart (Director, UW Native Voices Film Program) and one representative each from five of the groups who hosted the Ainu when they came to Washington State in December.

According to the Burke Museum press release:

In an effort to support the revitalization of the indigenous Ainu culture of Hokkaido, Japan, the Burke Museum received a $120,000 grant from the Museums and Communities Collaboration Abroad program last year to coordinate a cultural exchange between the Ainu and Northwest Coast tribal groups, such as the Makah, Squaxin Island, Suquamish, House of Welcome Longhouse, Duwamish, and Tulalip communities. The grant focuses on the shared history of sea and canoe traditions between the Ainu and Native Americans.

The 10-person Ainu delegation visited in December where they met and toured Northwest tribal communities and museums, shared issues, and gained insight and background in US/American Indian law, treaties, and land claims vital for their negotiations with the Japanese National Government.

Says grant PI Deana Dartt-Newton, "We had no idea, really, the extent to which these indigenous peoples have experienced the same histories--their ancestors relocated, enslaved, and made to feel ashamed of their heritage as indigenous peoples. However, the sense of pride and excitement during the exchange was incredible and the empowerment as indigenous peoples coming together overshadowed the grief."
This meeting first international trip sponsored by the Burke Museum The two groups met in an effort to support the cultural revitalization of the Ainu people.

To follow their activities, visit the Burke Museum homepage or their Facebook Group- Ainu and Pacific Northwest Culture Exchange.

"Sustainable Fisheries: Japanese Experience" DVD available from PARC

Utase-bune taken at Notsuke Bay, Hokkaido To avoid eel grass being damaged by propellers, fisher folks of Notsuke only use the power of the wind and tides when capturing shrimp. The volume of catch is strictly limited according to seasonal surveys.

The Pacific Asia Resource Center (PARC), a Tokyo-based social justice NGO, has released a new DVD "Sustainable Fisheries; Japanese Experience," both in English and in Japanese. This short documentary takes a look at grassroots and governmental efforts to create sustainable fisheries in Japan within a global and comparative context:

Nowadays, the disappearance of marine resources is a serious concern around the world.

This video analyzes the system within which marine resources are consumed and distributed in Japan, as well as how this system requires a huge amount of fish catch--thereby resulting in a depletion of resources.

With the goal in mind of finding alternative ways to fish, we covered various examples of sustainable fisheries that find ways to capture fish while still being able to maintain precious resources.

Such examples include making their own rules with which to regulate themselves; defending the ocean from reclamation; enriching local communities by implementing a system whereby profits are distributed amongst the community equally; and a system of fixed-net fisheries that leaves schools of fish untouched.

The video also introduces the Japanese Fishery Rights system, and explains how the Japanese Fishery Act incorporates the customs of community resource management, while also highlighting the important role that these rights have played in conserving the marine environment.

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Video information:

Title: "Sustainable Fisheries; Japanese Experience"
　 Directed by Suzuki Toshiaki
Produced by Pacific Asia Resource Center (PARC), Aug. 2009

35min, DVD (NTSC or PAL)
Price $20 for developing countries, $60 for developed countries

Contents:

Chapter 1: What's Happening to Fish around the World?
　　The Japanese Diet and the State of World Fishing
　　Are Fish Disappearing?
　　Japan's Fisheries and Fishery Resources

Chapter2: Fishery Rights and Customs as a Way to Conserve the Blessings of the Sea
　　A Commitment to Nature: Haruku Island, Indonesia
　　Self-regulation of the Fishing Seasons: Himeshima Island, Japan
　　Self-regulation: The Three-Year Moratorium on Hatahata Fishing in Akita, Japan
　　Fishery Rights, Built on Customs
　　Defending Nature: Onyujima, Japan

Chapter3: Sharing the Blessings of the Sea
　　Community-Building with Fishery Resources
　　Cross-Border Management of Marine Resources: The Disappearance of Yellowtail from Odawara, Japan
　　Protecting the Sea to Secure Our Lives

Japanese Groups working for a Nuclear-Free World

Iwashima Island residents are not the only Japanese citizens opposing the construction of a new nuclear power plant in their area. Elsewhere Japanese citizens have formed a number of grassroots groups opposing existing and proposed nuclear power plants. The Citizens' Nuclear Information Center (CNIC) profiles the following:

They include:

 • "Know Pluthermal" Shiribeshi Citizens' Network (Hokkaido)

• the National Network Against Nuclear Energy (formed in March 1978)

• The Committee to Consider Pluthermal and Saga's Next 100 Years (although Genkai-3 in Hokkaido is scheduled to become the first nuclear power plant in Japan to implement pluthermal, many people are continuing to raise concerns about issues of safety, economics, and whether pluthermal is necessary in the first place)

• Kariwa Women for the Protection of Life

• Anti-Nuclear Kagoshima Network

• Daichi Stop Nuclear Power Committee ("Nuclear energy is incompatible with organic agriculture)

• Stop Rokkasho Japan (initiated by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto)

• No to Radioactive Waste! Committee for a Prefectural Ordinance

• KO-OK Productions: film-makers who say, "Radiation is not OK"

• Phase-Out Nuclear Energy Downtown Network

• Kansai Relief for Chernobyl Hibakusha: linking Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl to create a world without nuclear victims

• The Shizuoka Network of Citizens Opposed to the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant (focuses on the question of whether the Hamaoka NPP is capable of withstanding the widely predicted Tokai Earthquake

• The Iwate Committee to Protect the Sanriku Sea from Radiation (concerned about ocean pollution from radioactive liquid waste from the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant)

• The Chernobyl Children's Fund

•  Acorn Forestry Club (doing business while opposing nuclear power in a nuclear town)

• Nagano Soft Energy Resource Center (a meeting place for people thinking about and taking action on energy and environment issues)

• The Association for the Preservation of Nagashima's Nature