Tyler Ellsworth Cotter

(Written in March of 2014)

Since the 1980s the Japanese beef market had steadily grown until
finally, in 2005 Japanese beef consumption superseded fish consumption.
(Baek ) This change in dietary habits has had a drastically negative effect on
the health of the Japanese people, as well as the growth of the Japanese
economy.
Globally, obesity rates have more than doubled since 1980; however
Japan has kept its obesity rate down to 3.2% (global average is 14.1%).
(Obesity statistics) It would seem that Japan on a comparative global level
has succeeded in keeping obesity down however, as a country over the last
twenty years they have seen obesity increase in both men and women of all
age groups. (Ministry of Health) Ten years before obesity began to
noticeably increase in Japan, McDonalds and other fast food restaurants
began to emerge into the Japanese market. This surge in fast food
restaurants also brought with it the successful integration of beef in the
Japanese market. (Overweight and Obesity) When comparing fish and beef of
the same portion size they equate to roughly the same amount of protein.
However, 3-ounces of ground beef has 15 grams of fat compared to a 3ounce portion of salmon that only contains 4 grams of fat. (Comparison) On
top of these dietary and lifestyle changes, the Japanese population has
begun to stagnate and decrease over the last decade. It is believed by the
year 2050 the Japanese population will decrease by 2.70%. (Japan)
These impacts on Japanese health and populations have also had a
negative effect on the Japanese economy and its ability to progress with the
global market. Over the last decade the total production of fisheries has
decreased over 24%, which has led to the decrease of fishery employment
by 2.4%. In 1960, 32.7% of the workforce was part of the fishery industry. In
2010, the fishery industry only made up 4.2% of Japans total workforce.
However, due to the decrease in population the Japan beef industry has also
begun to stagnate and decrease each year. This decrease in production is
seen in all areas of agriculture and has led to an increase in unemployment
across both genders and all age groups. In 1995 unemployment was at 3.2%
and by 2012 it was up to 4.3%. This increase in unemployment has also led
to a decrease in the average annual income per family. Due to the global
financial crisis, the Japanese average income has gone through cycles and
once again is on the fall. As of 2012, it has decreased by 2.9%. The decrease
in the output of fish is also concurrent with the decrease in total exports of
all Japanese goods. In 1960, fisheries had 12.8% of the total gross domestic
product; in 2010 it was only accounting for 1.2% of Japans total gross
domestic product. Although there has been a drop in fish exports the
Japanese gross domestic product has still succeeded in increasing each year.
(Bureau)

In order to understand the changes occurring in the Japanese fish

market and its effects on its economy, many aspects need to be taken into
consideration. However, because of the steady increase in beef production
and decrease in fisheries there has been a negative effect on the obesity
rates of the Japanese people, as well as a negative effect on their economy
leading to a higher unemployment rate and decrease in fishery exports as
well as total agriculture exports. This change in dietary preferences has had
a much larger effect on Japanese society than one might think. However, it
just goes to show how much buying power a society has, and how a slight
preference change can have such a drastic effects on other aspects of a
society.

Works Cited
Baek, P., Neves, C., & Vadillo, C. (2013, December 20). Surf vs. Turf: New
Trends Are Changing Japan's Traditional Food-consumption Habits.
KnowledgeWharton Surf vs Turf New Trends Are Changing Japans
Traditional Foodconsumption Habits Comments. Retrieved February 2,
2014, from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/surf-vs-turfnew-trends-changing-japans-traditional-food-consumption-habits/
Bureau. (n.d.). Statistical Handbook of Japan 2013. Statistics Bureau.
Retrieved February 2, 2014, from
http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c0117.htm
Comparison Between Beef & Fish Nutritional Content. (n.d.).
LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved February 2, 2014, from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/378459-comparison-between-beeffish-nutritional-content/
For Life-style Related Diseases Control Health Service Bureau Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare. (n.d.). Outline for the Results of the
National Health and Nutrition Survey Japan, 2006. Outline for the
Results of the National Health and Nutrition Survey Japan, 2006
(extracts) . Retrieved February 2, 2014, from
http://www0.nih.go.jp/eiken/english/research/pdf/nhns2006_outline.pdf
Japan Population 2013. (n.d.). World Population Statistics. Retrieved
February 1, 2014, from
http://www.worldpopulationstatistics.com/japan-population-2013/
Obesity statistics - Countries Compared. (n.d.). NationMaster.com. Retrieved
February 2, 2014, from http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_obehealth-obesity
Overweight and Obesity. (n.d.). World Health Organization. Retrieved
February 4, 2014, from
http://www.searo.who.int/entity/noncommunicable_diseases/media/no
n_communicable_diseases_obesity_fs.pdf