Agriculture in Japan reflects what most of the country eats. According to the USDA, Japan mainly grows rice, wheat, barley and oats. Japan also contains grazing lands for animals. However, it was found that rice is the most important crop grown in Japan. Although arable land is limited in Japan, it is essential for the economy and population growth. Rice was introduced to Japan between the late Jomon period and the early Yayoi period, some scholars suggest it may have been as early as six thousand years ago. ago. There are various Japanese characters from each period that represent rice cultivation. To grow rice in Japan, steep terrain must be terraced. This creates small areas high up on mountain slopes where various things are grown. In 2012, 1.55 million hectares were cultivated for rice cultivation in Japan. However, this number is significantly lower than in previous years. In 2008, 4.68 million hectares of rice were harvested. The average field for a farmer is very small and rice production is highly mechanized. The sharp decline in hectares planted with rice is due to the fact that the number of Japanese farming families has declined sharply in recent years. Some Japanese farmers even consider growing rice to be a part-time job and not as important as other commodities. The decline is also due to a change in the Staple Food Control Act of 1969. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries asked farmers to reduce the area under rice cultivation due to overproduction of rice. This was put in place to lower the quantity of rice and focus more on other agricultural products in order to compensate in other areas. However, this drop in production makes no sense because the import tariffs... are just paper... .... a soybean field to produce miso, a popular food in Japan. Many rice fields are damaged due to the tsunami and it takes a long time for the field to be productive again. That's why many people are changing the function of their fields. Overall, rice is the main focus of agricultural production in Japan. It is also the most consumed food. Rice production has declined significantly over the past decade and is not expected to increase again in the immediate future. In the coming years, agricultural production plans to move towards different types of food through changes in the use of fields and greenhouses. This will help the economy because this way they won't have to import many other types of food besides rice. However, it does not appear that the price of rice will decrease as the Japanese pay particular attention to taste and quality.