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In this study, we develop a model of food consumption with a focus on the subjectively assessed risk of consumers and their degree of confidence in their risk assessment and use it to examine consumer behavior in the chaotic situation created by the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. The data were collected in March 2012 using a mail survey for 1300 Japanese women, the primary food purchasers. The respondents were asked to evaluate the cancer risk of eating agricultural products, which were assumed to be grown in the affected area, despite meeting national regulatory standards for radioactive materials, as a measure of their risk assessment and willingness to purchase Fukushima beef. The results show that the effect of confidence in a consumer’s risk assessment on their behavior depends on the stated risk level: when stated risk is below an estimated critical value, termed the switching point, the risk perceived by a consumer without confidence exceeds that of one with confidence. On the other hand, perceived risk is inversely related to confidence when the stated risk exceeds the switching point.

Monocots are remarkably homogeneous in sharing a common trimerous pentacyclic floral Bauplan. A major factor affecting monocot evolution is the unique origin of the clade from basal angiosperms. The origin of the floral Bauplan of monocots remains controversial, as no immediate sister groups with similar structure can be identified among basal angiosperms, and there are several possibilities for an ancestral floral structure, including more complex flowers with higher stamen and carpel numbers, or strongly reduced flowers. Additionally, a stable Bauplan is only established beyond the divergence of Alismatales. Here, we observed the floral development of five members of the three ‘petaloid’ Alismatales families Butomaceae, Hydrocharitaceae, and Alismataceae. Outer stamen pairs can be recognized in mature flowers of Alismataceae and Butomaceae. Paired stamens always arise independently, and are either shifted opposite the sepals or close to the petals. The position of stamen pairs is related to the early development of the petals. In Butomaceae, the perianth is not differentiated and the development of the inner tepals is not delayed; the larger inner tepals (petals) only permit the initiation of stamens in antesepalous pairs. Alismataceae has delayed petals and the stamens are shifted close to the petals, leading to an association of stamen pairs with petals in so-called stamen–petal complexes. In the studied Hydrocharitaceae species, which have the monocot floral Bauplan, paired stamens are replaced by larger single stamens and the petals are not delayed. These results indicate that the origin of the floral Bauplan, at least in petaloid Alismatales, is closely linked to the position of stamen pairs and the rate of petal development. Although the petaloid Alismatales are not immediately at the base of monocot divergence, the floral evolution inferred from the results should be a key to elucidate the origin of the floral Bauplan of monocots.

This paper examined the complementary relationship between the direct effects of local brand farm products, such as through increases in income and employment in the local community, and indirect effects, such as through the development of tourism, by examining data collected by a survey of agricultural cooperatives in Japan. Estimation of a determinant model of direct and indirect economic effects that assumed an endogenous relationship revealed that those cooperatives producing brand products that have a relatively long history of branding of products, systems for quality control, preservation of the local heritage, and a local partnership between agricultural and accommodation/restaurant sectors are much more likely to achieve the two primary economic goals of income and employment generation. It is concluded that a wider and longstanding perspective of local resource management is necessary to enhance the complementary relationship between economic gain of local brand farm products and tourism development.

As rural tourism evolves into diversification, the connection between the individual and local resource management is becoming an important issue for the sustainable evolution of rural tourism. To explore this point, we investigated conceptually and empirically whether rural tourism operators’individual satisfaction enhances utilization of local resources and, if so, what mechanism works for it by focusing on rural tourism accompanied by an educational program, i.e. a farm-stay with farm and rural experience services implemented as a part of school trips in Matsuura, Japan. From statistical tests and an econometric estimation based on a questionnaire survey of rural tourism operators we found that operators’individual satisfaction gained from interchange with visitors and direct feedback can positively enhance locally exerted effects that stimulate operators to recognize opportunities within their community and raise the potential for local resource use. Thus, we should strengthen this connection to eventually create a new viable activity.

The caption of Figure 5 was published incorrectly in the original publication of the article.

Exporting countries are beginning to be puzzled by a rapid changes surrounding food safety in Japan. For example,the US offi cials admitted that a series of toughening regulations aimed at food importation from Japan was an overreaction. Therefore, in order to better understand international positions on consumer to food safety consciousness, we collected the data through surveys and interviews in four countries (Japan, the United States, China, and Ireland). From the qualitative and metrical analysis of the data, it became clear that concerned over consumers'safety in Japan was slightly higher than other countries. However, these degrees in US and China were by nomeans low. It also became clear that Japanese consumer reactions to food safety should not have been said seen as overreactions., わが国では食品関連の事件や不祥事が多発したことで安全性に関する消費者意識が高まり,近年では安全性確保の環境整備も進んできた.しかし,一方ではそうした急速な変化に対して,輸出国を中心に過剰反応であるとの指摘もされている.そこで本研究では,わが国の消費者意識が世界的に見て相対的にどのような位置にあるのかを明らかにするため,日本,米国,中国,アイルランドで街頭調査を実施し,定性的・計量的に分析した. その結果,わが国の消費者は他国の消費者よりも,食品の安全性に対する関心が高いことが確認された.しかしながら,米国,中国においてもリスクに対する不安度は比較的高く,決してわが国の消費者のみが過剰反応をしているとは言えない水準であることが判明した.

The ultimate goal of this paper is the establishment of a sustainable local food movement in Japan. In order to achieve this goal, we evaluated the causal structure of consumers' preference to "local foods". A mail survey in the Tokyo metropolitan area was used to collect the data. The results show that consumers' knowledge of Chisan-Chisyou is limited, but they do tend to usually buy local foods. Consumers' preferences for local foods are affected by "safety", "relationship with community" and "interest in agriculture". But, in this model, it can't show the influence of consumers' evaluation at shops, such as brand, freshness and in season or not.

In this Paper, input-output analysis of the induced effects on local employments by social-security sector and public enterprise sector, were conducted. The results were pointed out as followed. (1) The size of multipliers of social-security sector are larger than public enterprise sector. And also, both of the multipliers in Saitama Prefecture are larger than Wakayama Prefecture. (2) The various simulations, changing output of two sectors following decision of residents, was conducted. As a results, firstly, employments in Wakayama Prefecture declined more than Saitama Prefecture. Secondly, in the both Prefectures, induced employments increased in the industries such as primary industry, carrier, education, social-security and service for household-consumption. But then, the amounts declined in the industries such as manufacture, construction, commerce and service for firms-consumption.

The damage caused by wild animals in agriculture and forestry is becoming serious in Japan. Thus we examined how to put this issue under control by the case study that we conducted in Pennsylvania where sport hunting was implemented for managing deer population. We analyzed our survey data for deer hunters there. The results of this study provide a useful perspective for tackling the same problems happening in rural Japan.

Food education has attracted growing concern focusing on appropriate dietary habits amid the deterioration of many aspects of health in this industrial society. For this purpose, a self-motivating type of food policy framework is expected to increase in significance. Under such a self-motivating policy framework that aims at inducing people to increase their food-conscious behaviour from the aspects of a healthy diet, food safety, reduction of food waste, and the local community, this paper investigated the awareness of food education by a survey of 3,000 inhabitants in a suburb of Tokyo and explored the factors determining the willingness to participate as a food education volunteer. We found the existence of a generation gap in terms of interest in and knowledge regarding food education, which suggests that there is room for working together to exert a complementary role between generations.

In this “affluent society” many people have been so much changing their views of ‘value’ from material richness to better quality of life, and the marginal meaning of agriculure is changing from its economic function to its output-mix of social benefits.Therefore a focal point of rural planning is to be not only economic maximization, but also social optimization.Under this circumstance, the problem of amenity becomes an object of rural planning. The definition of rural amenity, however is very vague and difficult to identify. With this in mind, the present study aims to make clear the following points: 1) a goal-system of amenity in rural planning by goal-tree-method2) methods of determining the goal-priority for optimum investment in multi-dimensional rural planning goals3) a comparative study on goal-structure of rural amenity between Japan and Korea.A tool of this study depends on “Nutzwertanalyse, ” a method of criteria weights in rank ordering techniques of project evaluation.-Goal-systems of amenity in rural planning are very similar between Japan and Korea.-The preference of ecological and settlemental goals seems to be much higher in Japan than in Korea.-In Korea the goal-value is shifting to not only employment, but also more and more the so-called “intangible”. goals, for example, beautiful landscape.

This book, edited by Peter Keller and Thomas Bieger, provides a unique analysis of the recent financial crisis on world tourism and particularly the development models which contribute to reduce poverty. The volume is based on the knowledge of a network of more than 300 researches and includes experiences from Europe, Africa and Asia. It focuses on the latest economic crises as a framework for analyses and as a real life case study.

Most food safety and consumer trust measures focus on information management in preparation for accidents and system structures focused on inspection records for hygiene management. Recognizing the provision of safe produce coupled to preventative rather than reactive measures as being more important, this research uses covariance structure analysis to explore decision making associated with the adoption of new technology by farmers. Survey items range from standard farm characteristics (such as scale of operation and volume of sales) to social psychological constructs (such as attitudes about various farm operational risks). Data drawn from greenhouse vegetable farmers (185 mail survey responses) are used to estimate our causal models. Overall, large farms tended to be more progressive in the adoption of new technology, even when they perceived high operational risks. In the future, assuming Japan will participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), regulations associated with vegetable imports will be eased and Japan’s greenhouse vegetable farmers will face fierce international competition. Food safety regulations will also likely be subjected to TPP guidelines. Under these circumstances, production technology for heightened food safety will be indispensable in order for Japan’s greenhouse vegetable farmers to continue to thrive. Government support to encourage the adoption of new technology will also be necessary. The results of this analysis contribute fundamental knowledge to the formulation of measures designed to encourage adoption.