FOCUS: Some Japanese Women Leap Forward in Agriculture

Tokyo, March 26 (Jiji Press)–Japanese agriculture has long been shaped by a deeply rooted gender-based division of labor, in which the eldest son inherits the family farm while his wife takes on supporting duties in addition to housework and child care. But that traditional model is beginning to shift, giving way to a more flexible division of labor that draws on individual strengths and is helping to breathe new life into agriculture, a key pillar of local communities. Although women still make up a small minority in leadership roles, one woman has become the head of an agricultural business, while another has been appointed to lead a municipal agricultural committee. They are taking on challenges such as developing new sales channels and tackling the problem of abandoned farmland. “Agriculture is still an untapped field where women’s ideas have not yet been fully utilized. There are many opportunities,” says Sayaka Eguchi, 48, head of Eguchi Rice Farm in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan. The farm produces and sells rice, vegetables and processed foods. Looking ahead, she is focused on expanding the farm’s acreage and developing overseas markets. In 2017, at her suggestion, Eguchi and her husband, Hiroyuki, 57, the eldest son of a farming family, established the agricultural corporation. Encouraged by her husband, who told her that the person with the strongest desire to run the business should lead it, she took on the role of chief representative. Hoping to connect more directly with consumers, she began selling products online. While her husband, a skilled farmer by nature, mainly handles the farm work, Eguchi focuses on marketing and selling the farm’s produce and processed goods. After graduating from university, Eguchi worked for a travel agency and a trading company. Drawing on those experiences, she describes the agricultural sector as “very closed,” noting that local gatherings are still largely dominated by men. As of 2024, women headed only 6.8 pct of individually run farming businesses in Japan. Eguchi believes that needs to change. “Each person has different values and different strengths,” she says. “Men and women alike should be equally involved.” Setsuko Kubota, 70, chair of the agricultural committee in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, has made notable progress in consolidating farmland and helping prevent cultivated land from being abandoned. To understand local residents’ views, Kubota conducted questionnaire surveys. Using the experience she gained while working at a manufacturing company and a surveying office, she also prepared maps and explanatory materials herself, compiling proposals that residents could readily accept. “Everything I had done in the past turned out to be useful,” she recalls. Kubota says she is “not particularly conscious of being a woman,” but adds that “women’s strengths are still needed to break through stagnation.” As a member of a liaison council comprising female agricultural committee members from nine neighboring municipalities, she has also joined fellow members in urging mayors to appoint more women to agricultural committees when memberships are renewed. The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer in an effort to address gender disparities in the agricultural sector. In Japan, however, women remain underrepresented in agricultural decision-making. In fiscal 2024, women accounted for just 14.4 pct of members on agricultural committees in 1,693 cities, wards, towns and villages nationwide. Increasing the number of women in leadership and decision-making roles in agriculture remains a key challenge for Japan. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]