Food Control Act (Shokuryo Kanri Ho)

The Food Control Act (Shokuryo Kanri Ho) was a law enacted mainly to control the production and distribution of rice, with the aims of adjusting rice supply and demand and securing the necessary quantities. The law played an important role in stabilizing agricultural production and ensuring that the public could obtain a stable supply of rice. However, as the liberalization of food markets advanced, the New Food Act (Shin Shokuryo Ho) came into effect on November 1, 1995 (Heisei 7), and a more flexible food policy came to be required. The New Food Act aims to build a sustainable food supply system while respecting market principles in the production and distribution of agricultural products.