Unless a sustainable Japanese economic model is built on renewing Japan’s traditional love of nature, strengthening the community and respect for the family unit, existing socioeconomic structures in Japan will fail with tragic results. The Japanese export economic growth model is fast becoming obsolete and will become irrelevant in post peak oil Japan. Japan has only a small window of opportunity to get a new generation interested in agriculture. There is a total disconnect between the farm and the urban consumer. Young people have no idea where or how the food they eat is grown. Japan must recruit new farmers now if it is going to survive.

The task of getting young families to relocate to rural areas, encouraging them to have more children and change their social and economic goals will be difficult; but does Japan have a choice? Starvation will be the only motivator if action is not taken immediately to educate Japanese children early on to understand these fundamental issues.

In the near future, one of the only things that will matter in Japan is food production. The world is facing a looming global food crisis and Japan will not fair as well as other industrialized countries because of its heavy dependence on oil, fertilizer and imported food. The Japanese consumer must realize that with every purchase of imported food, they are voting to undermine the viability of the Japanese farmer and insuring their own starvation. Global trade deals that favor importation of food over Japanese food security must be renounced. Agricultural education must start with sustainable goals that emphasize the spiritual connection between our children, the land and the food they consume. The next generation must be taught now before it is too late.

I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to write Part 6.

One of the reasons I wanted to write all this was because of the lack of current discussion on Japan and Peak Oil, so I’m really glad you’ve found it useful.

Like you I find the prospect of energy and food shortages here particularly worrying and was concerned that most of the commentary I could find on it was along the lines of “I’m just glad I’m not in South Korea or Japan!”

My hope is I might stimulate some serious debate on the topic, though my lack of advanced Japanese means the potential audience this blog will reach is limited in Japan.

Cheers,
Freddy

It’s very difficult to find information on how Peak Oil will affect Japan in particular (believe me, I’ve been looking for the past ~2 years), so I really appreciate your blog.
I learned about peak oil 3 years ago, and have been living in Japan for most of the time since then with the intent to stay here for at least a few more years. It’s *really* frightening to think of the possibilities of a food and/or energy shortage in this overcrowded, resource-poor country. (I live in Kawasaki, so my fate is intertwined with that of the other 35 million living in the Tokyo metro area.)