This study by Masayuki Igarashi and Daisuke Satoaddresses the general consensus recently hammered out in talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact (TPP). Explored are means of seizing on the “Internet of Things” (IoT), a trend rapidly disseminating and evolving within the industrial world, to engineer fourth-generation structural reform in Japanese agriculture geared to capitalize on perceived “threats” as “opportunities.”

The 21st century is swiftly shaping up as the “Era of Agriculture,” with the ability to secure food resources destined to keenly impact national strength over the coming decades. Against such a dynamic and pressing backdrop, every possible effort must be channeled into avoiding a situation under which Japanese agriculture suffers devastating damage due to the impact of the TPP. While Japan’s agricultural sector is said to be low in productivity, there is also no rational reason to be excessively pessimistic about such a situation. As this report postulates, a potent prescription for dealing with such concerns lies in putting “Agriculture 4.0” into practice. The author expresses confidence that this emerging new generation and domain of agriculture holds ample promise not only for Japan, but on an increasingly global scale as well.

1. The 21st Century as the “Era of Agriculture”: ⇒ Upon reaching a global population of 10 billion, the ability to secure food resources will increasingly impact national strength
2. Agriculture Embarking into its Fourth Generation of Structural Change: Creative evolution from the realm of the tangible (power and tools) to the intangible (data analysis and utilization)
3. The Most Appropriate Path for Japanese Agriculture: “Scale expansion” and “Agriculture 4.0” ⇒ The critical importance of rapidly realizing a Japan format “Agriculture 4.0” capable of instilling high added-value and efficiency