Research & reports

· 都市計画論文集（公益社団法人 日本都市計画学会）56巻2号 · Japan

A peer-reviewed paper analyzing how community-development organizations support off-market distribution (direct and contract sales) of urban agriculture, using cases in Kashiwa and Kokubunji. It provides scholarly context for public-private farmers-market and local-food efforts such as Kobe's EAT LOCAL KOBE.

農林水産省 農村振興局農村計画課都市農業室 · 農林水産省（都市農地活用支援センター セミナー資料） · Japan

A Ministry of Agriculture briefing on the current state and policy trends of urban agriculture. It summarises trends in urban farmland area, productive/specified-productive green space, measures under the Urban Agriculture Promotion Act, and initiatives toward diverse functions such as citizen farms, experience farms and agriculture-welfare collaboration — a baseline reference for municipalities designing urban-agriculture policy.

Yoshida S., Yagi H. · Sustainability 13(8):4316 · Japan

Drawing on a survey of 74 farms in Tokyo, the study revealed conditions for farm resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic and the relationship between short-term resilience and long-term farm development. More than half of the farms increased sales, and short-term resilience contributed to farmers' intentions for long-term development and farmland preservation.

千葉 舞優, 西村 亮彦 · 景観・デザイン研究講演集 No.17 · Japan

Using Odakyu's regenerated Hoshinotani Danchi as a case study, this research examines the planning and operation of community spaces including the Hatamusubi rental farm, Kissaten Laundry café, and childcare support facilities, showing how movement between facilities generates small-scale exchange including the surrounding area.

世田谷区 · 世田谷区 検討報告書 · Japan

Setagaya's review report from its urban-agriculture and farmland-conservation PT after the 2022 productive-green-area issue, outlining the current state and future direction of publicly supported urban farmland use including buy-out conservation, agriculture-welfare collaboration, ward allotments and community farms such as Tamaribatake.

Ryosuke Koda, Susumu Kawahara, 亮輔 甲田, 晋 川原 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

A case study of the "Koku-Vege" project in Kokubunji City, Tokyo, Japan, investigated agricultural product branding in urban agriculture. The project built upon existing agricultural promotion policies and citizen activities, involving administrative departments skilled in public relations, which fostered broad understanding and empathy for the brand. Continuous communication by agricultural product delivery personnel connecting farmers and restaurants, along with regular government-led events, contributed to changes in restaurant awareness, new relationship building, and expanded brand recognition within the region, demonstrating features that promote intra-regional branding.

Kana Nakatsuka · Journal of Rural Problems · Japan (Higashi-Osaka City)

Higashi-Osaka City implemented the "Farm Mileage2 Campaign" to promote urban agriculture, collaborating with food business operators to jointly develop agricultural products. As a result, residential areas of consumers preferring ethical foods expanded based on the shipping destinations of food business operators. The movement also fostered events for food and agriculture education, promoting understanding of urban agriculture rather than just leisure. Many urban residents were found to desire agriculture near their homes.

Izumi ARAKAWA, Noriko Akita · Journal of The Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture · Japan (Tokyo)

This study identified the characteristics of local plan policies based on the Basic Law for Urban Agricultural Promotion, formulated by local governments. The survey covered 310 local governments in 11 prefectures across three major Metropolitan areas. Tokyo had a large number of local governments formulating local plans and implementing various policies, with differences observed between cities and wards. "Branding of agricultural products" was one policy independently formulated, while "Promotion of agricultural cooperation between rural and urban areas" was not adopted by any local government.

Seiji Tange, Keisuke Sakamoto, Takahiro Yamazaki, Akiko Iida, Makoto Yokohari · Toshi keikaku hokokushu/Toshi keikaku houkokushuu · Japan

This 2021 study analyzed 13 municipalities in regional (non-metropolitan) Japan that operate the production green space (seisan ryokuchi) system, examining how changing perceptions of the value of farmland within urbanization-promotion areas led to expanded designation of production green space. It found that rising tax burdens on farmland in urbanization-promotion areas triggered the spread of production green space designation even in regional cities. It also found that, beyond this economic factor, the 2015 enactment of the Basic Act for the Promotion of Urban Agriculture prompted a movement to assign farmland new roles and values—such as land for disaster-prevention cooperation and sites for food and farming experience—which further contributed to the expansion of designation.

· 農林水産省（2021年5月策定） · Japan

MAFF's 2021 strategy for a sustainable food system, setting 2050 KPIs including a 50% cut in chemical pesticide use (risk-weighted), a 30% cut in chemical fertiliser use, and expanding organic farming to one million hectares — 25% of Japan's cultivated land.

· 農林水産省ほか（2021年3月決定、掲載: 厚生労働省） · Japan

The national plan under the Basic Act on Shokuiku for FY2021-2025, with three priorities (lifelong health, sustainable food, the 'new normal' and digitalisation) and 24 indicators, including expanding hands-on agriculture, forestry and fishery experience.

· 農林水産省 農村振興局 · Japan

Certifications under the Urban Farmland Leasing Facilitation Act for FY2020 — the early-period tally, needed to see the trajectory either side of the 2022 productive-green-land deadline.

農林水産省 · 農林水産省（みどりの食料システム戦略本部） · Japan

The official portal for MAFF's 'Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems, MeaDRI' (Midori Strategy), decided May 12, 2021. It aims to reconcile productivity growth with sustainability in Japan's food and agriculture sector through innovation, targeting development of key technologies by 2040 and full social implementation by 2050. Interim 2030 KPI targets were decided June 21, 2022.

星野高徳 · 社会経済史学 87巻2号 · Japan

This paper, published in Socio-Economic History vol. 87 no. 2 (2021), examines the transformation of postwar Japan's human-waste (night soil) treatment policy, addressing the coexistence of persistent unsanitary disposal methods and the advance of sewage treatment.

Yoshida S. · Land 9(9):315 · Japan

Using a nationwide agricultural land-parcel GIS database for the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas, the study analyzed the synergistic effects of distance from cities and urban sprawl on farmland-parcel size and diversified farm activities such as direct marketing, farming experience, and environmentally friendly practices, via OLS and Poisson regression.

日本経済新聞 · 日本経済新聞（Nikkei） · Japan

A Nikkei report on Nomura Real Estate partnering with JA Setagaya-Meguro to launch, in November 2020, a monthly subscription 'urban experience farm' for home gardening on over 2,000 sqm of productive green land in Setagaya. With about 200 plots of 3.6 sqm where residents and citizens take part from planting to harvest, it highlights how supported rental farming links the preservation of shrinking urban farmland with citizen participation in agriculture.

Onaka K. · 農業問題研究 (Journal of Rural Issues) · Japan

Critically reviews research on general firms' entry into agriculture amid farmland deregulation in Japan, discussing the rising number of entrant companies, regional disparities, and the development and challenges of corporate farm management.

福本 優, 大平 和弘, 藤本 真里, 赤澤 宏樹 · 都市計画論文集 55巻3号 pp.777-782 · Japan

A case study of self-managed development parks under green-space agreements in private developer condominium projects in Kobe, analyzing spatial typologies and owner maintenance attitudes and showing the need for design guidance toward open green management including community gardens.

小杉 理理子 · 日本不動産学会誌 34巻2号 p.108 · Japan

Introduces the Kamigo Neopolis machizukuri agreement between Yokohama City and Daiwa House Industry, reporting collaboration among residents, government, and the developer to regenerate a suburban detached-housing district through gathering spaces and community building.

一般社団法人まちにわ ひばりが丘 · まちにわ ひばりが丘 公式活動報告書 · Japan

A milestone report marking transition from developer-led (Daiwa House, Sumitomo Fudosan, Cosmos Initia, etc.) to resident-led governance at former Hibarigaoka Danchi, documenting operation of Hibari Terrace 118 with its shared garden and the evolution of machizukuri.

森川洋 · 人文地理（人文地理学会）72(3), 299–315 · Japan

A critical examination of Japan's 'regional revitalization' policy (against depopulation and Tokyo over-concentration), arguing that rural decline cannot be halted without dispersing Tokyo's functions, and weighing both the importance and the limits of 'small hub' development.

Ikuko Omi, Tôru Nakayama · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Japan

This study documents the five-year process of establishing and developing civil agriculture organizations to enable suburban residents to participate in urban agriculture. It identifies various conditions necessary for success, including initial investment, cultivation training, farmland conditions, and sales. The study also clarifies the relationship with local government and farmers, and notes that members began developing their own agricultural techniques once the organization's operations stabilized, revealing diverse roles and issues within these groups.

Naomi Shimpo · Toshi keikaku hokokushu/Toshi keikaku houkokushuu · Japan (Tokyo)

This paper investigated the establishment and management of a community garden opened by an NPO on vacant land in Sumida Ward, Tokyo. Interviews and document analysis revealed that the garden was established to cultivate traditional vegetables to foster human interaction, and the NPO status was acquired to receive municipal subsidies and potentially resolve property tax issues. NPO status is considered advantageous for the economic stability of community garden operations.

Takeshi So · The Japanese Journal of Real Estate Sciences · Japan

This study discusses urban agriculture in Japan from three perspectives: suburban farming, urban farming, and isolated farming operations within urban areas. Despite its historical impact on urban planning, urban farmland has dramatically decreased and currently hinders real estate business and new business creation. It is suggested that economic rationality and public interest should be prioritized, and tax incentives for urban farmland should be reconsidered in a stepwise manner.

Seiichiro Shiozawa · The Japanese Journal of Real Estate Sciences · Japan

This study examined the "2022 problem" in Japan, concerning the potential mass conversion of farmland designated as Production Green Space into residential land. It notes that these concerns have receded due to legal amendments and system establishment following the 2016 Basic Law for the Promotion of Urban Agriculture. The study suggests that future urban development should utilize urban farmland to increase regional value, proposing three key actions: establishing cooperation between urban farmers and residents, creating district-specific community development systems, and promoting appropriate land use.