미곡수입관세화 이후 일본의 미곡유통구조 변화에 관한 고찰

Abstract

This paper is to study the transformation of rice marketing system since the tariffication of rice imports under the WTO in Japan. On the basis of the agricultural agreement of December 1993 in the Uruguay round of trade talks under the GATT, Japan has been going ahead with the liberalization of its agricultural product markets. Japan quickly switched from import quota systems to tariff measures for such items as dairy products, starch, and wheat.Imports Regarding rice, in consideration of the domestic situation in Japan, such as the strong opposition to tariffication among rice growers, the agreement permitted a special measure by which a moratorium was placed on the liberalization of rice imports for six years from 1995 to 2000 on condition that imports accounted for a certain ratio of domestic rice consumption - that is, minimum access. The minimum access ratio was to be raised gradually from 4% to 8%. By 1998 Japan had raised the ratio to 5%. In 1999, however, Japan switched the handling of rice imports from this special measure to tariffication. The main reason was that by switching to tariffication, the subsequent increase that would have resulted from the minimum access condition could be halved.