Country agriculture profile · East Asia & Pacific
Japan
Japan's agriculture is intensive, high-value, and shaped by mountainous terrain that confines farming to limited lowland plains and terraced valleys. Irrigated paddy rice is the dietary and cultural staple and the backbone of the farm sector, complemented by high-quality horticulture, tea, fruit, and premium Wagyu beef and dairy. Farms are typically small and often part-time, the farming population is ageing, and the country relies heavily on imports for feed grains, oilseeds, and much of its food supply. Food self-sufficiency, farmland preservation, and support for an ageing rural workforce are enduring policy concerns.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Humid subtropical (southern and lowland areas)
- Humid continental (north and highlands)
- Subarctic (interior Hokkaido)
Agroecological zones
- Hokkaido arable and dairy belt
- Honshu paddy plains
- Terraced mountain valleys
- Subtropical Kyushu and Okinawa
Dominant crop systems
- Irrigated paddy rice as the staple system
- Intensive protected and open-field vegetable and fruit horticulture
- Upland and Hokkaido field crops (wheat, potato, sugar beet, soybean)
- Tea and orchard production on hill slopes
Major livestock systems
- Intensive dairy concentrated in Hokkaido
- Wagyu and other beef-cattle fattening
- Confined pig and poultry production
Irrigation: Rice paddies are extensively irrigated through a dense network of small reservoirs, canals, and pumped systems, while abundant, seasonally reliable rainfall limits supplemental irrigation needs for most upland crops.
Latest verified data
Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land | 12.64 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 11.09 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Cereal yield | 6,245.1 | kg per hectare | 2023 |
| Livestock production index | 104.84 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Agriculture value added | 0.96 | % of GDP | 2024 |
| Employment in agriculture(est.) | 2.88 | % of total employment | 2024 |
| Fertilizer consumption | 202.84 | kg per hectare of arable land | 2023 |
| Forest area | 68.4 | % of land area | 2023 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Cereal yield over time
Show data table
| Year | kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 6,248.5 |
| 2013 | 6,281.5 |
| 2014 | 6,325.1 |
| 2015 | 6,316.7 |
| 2016 | 6,253.4 |
| 2017 | 6,284.5 |
| 2018 | 6,132.3 |
| 2019 | 6,295.5 |
| 2020 | 6,230.1 |
| 2021 | 6,417 |
| 2022 | 6,319.9 |
| 2023 | 6,245.1 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Derived indicator
Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 87.8 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (11.1) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (12.6). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.
Documented crops & livestock
Agricultural institutions
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) — National agriculture and food policy authority.
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) — Principal national agricultural research institute.
- Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) — National institute for international agricultural research.
Data coverage & limitations
Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.
- Statistics are dated, versioned, and periodically revised; always read them with their reference year and dataset version.
- National definitions of farm, cultivated land, and self-sufficiency differ from those used elsewhere.
- Japan's small average farm size and prevalence of part-time farming complicate comparison with land-extensive systems.
- Food self-sufficiency is often reported on a calorie basis, a national convention that differs from value-based measures.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- Authoritative
Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Production systems and food-balance context
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12