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.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]