Coastal aquaculture is facing a triple whammy: the saturation of suitable areas, the frequent occurrence of the harmful algal blooms called red tides , and rising sea temperatures. As such, there is a pressing need to expand aquaculture into offshore areas. Submersible cages that evenly exchange air and seawater make it possible to achieve offshore aquaculture that can withstand even the high waves caused by typhoons. In coastal areas, semi-closed sea surface aquaculture systems that circulate deep seawater are an effective measure against red tides and parasites. Scientists also aim to create sustainable offshore areas that bring together energy, food, and ecosystem conservation by combining offshore wind power generation, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), and smart fisheries that leverage sensors and AI.

Having pioneered fish farming trials using net cages in 1954, Kindai University’s Aquaculture Research Institute began research into full-cycle aquaculture of bluefin tuna in 1970. After 32 long years of research, it achieved the world’s first full-cycle aquaculture of bluefin tuna in 2002. In 2026, the institute also announced that it had achieved the world’s first full-cycle aquaculture of blackthroat seaperch, a highly prized deep-water fish, bringing the total number of fish species for which it had achieved full-cycle aquaculture to 30. However, environmental challenges remain, including eutrophication and the energy consumption of land-based aquaculture. The institute is at the forefront of aquaculture technology in Japan, conducting research into genetic improvement that combines selective breeding and genome editing to support integrated production from egg to table.

Aquaponics is a closed recirculating food production system that connects fish aquaculture and hydroponic cultivation in a single flow of water, using nitrifying bacteria to turn fish excreta into plant nutrients, while discharging hardly any effluent. As it uses no agrochemicals or antibiotics and prevents the entry of pathogens and parasites, it addresses the issues faced by onshore aquaculture. Scientists are also leveraging the physiological characteristics of marine fish that can grow even in low-salt environments similar to those of bodily fluids in order to explore new possibilities that combine marine fish with halophytes—plants that thrive in salty environments. However, a number of challenges to commercialization still remain, including the high cost of these systems and the lack of a framework for certification.

Securing a source of seawater is essential for marine fish aquaculture, placing substantial constraints on siting and water quality management. Developed by Okayama University of Science, Third Water is neither seawater nor freshwater, but a third kind of water: artificial breeding water that includes mainly three elements sodium, potassium, and calcium, enabling both marine fish and freshwater fish to be raised in the same environment. Third Water has been confirmed to reduce the risk of parasites and pathogens, while accelerating growth to 1.2–3.1 times the normal level by alleviating the burden of osmotic pressure adjustment. Efforts implement it in deserts and inland areas are progressing by combining it with completely closed recirculating aquaculture systems. Scientists are also looking at applied research focused on its use in food production in space.

Japan’s tradition of agricultural production in the urban periphery stretches back to the Edo period, but the City Planning Act enacted in 1968 triggered a deterioration in the agricultural production environment in urbanization promotion areas. Urban agriculture is closely connected not only to the growing of agricultural produce, but also to communities, environmental conservation, and food education. As such, it plays an important part in food culture and communities. Following experiences including the Great East Japan Earthquake, efforts focused on rethinking agriculture in city suburbs gathered momentum, leading to the 2015 enactment of the Basic Act on the Promotion of Urban Agriculture, which removed a variety of obstacles. Now, tens of thousands of people are beginning to move into agriculture every year.

Smart agriculture is a new form of agriculture that leverages robots, AI, IoT, and other advanced technologies, with the aim of saving labor, increasing efficiency, achieving high-quality production, and reducing environmental impacts based on highly analyzed agricultural data. The term became widely known during the 2000s. Smart agriculture has evolved in various ways since then, and demonstration experiments of remote monitoring and operation of robotic agricultural machinery on virtual farms are now underway. Hopes are high that it will become the future of agriculture, because simulating crop growth conditions makes it possible to predict yields and the timing of harvests, thereby optimizing work plans.

While carbon dioxide accounts for 75% of the greenhouse gases considered the root cause of global warming, the global warming potential of methane is actually around 25 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. Wetlands and cattle burps are known sources of the gas, but approximately 10% of global methane emissions and around 40% of those in Japan stem from rice paddies. Countries throughout Asia engage in wet-rice farming, and given that their populations are increasing, we cannot ignore methane emissions from rice paddies. There is no time to lose in developing technology that increases yields while curbing methane emissions, in order to achieve sustainable rice production.

In 1999, the Basic Act on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas was enacted, to outline the direction of Japanese agriculture in the 21st century and the framework for agricultural policy. It mandated the formulation of a basic plan every five years. This Basic Act was amended in 2024, for the first time in 25 years. Forming the backdrop to this amendment were the dramatic changes in a variety of circumstances affecting agriculture, including domestic and international development, climate change, and a decline in the farming population due to the aging of agricultural workers. At the same time, initiatives focused on the agriculture of the future are also starting to emerge, such as the establishment of smart agriculture and other such sustainable food systems. Agriculture has reached a major turning point.

Sea temperatures are rising. Japanese coastal waters in particular have seen a rise of 1.28°C over the last 100 years, which is around double the increase of 0.61°C in the global average. The habitats of a variety of marine organisms have changed over this period, and the conventional ecosystem balance is breaking down. Climate change is thought to be a factor in this, but the precise reasons are still unclear at this stage. However, using environmental DNA microanalysis, it has become possible to gain an accurate understanding of current ecosystems without capturing living creatures. By learning what kinds of organisms inhabit Japanese coastal waters, we will be able to make the coastal fisheries industry more efficient.

The growth of paddy rice is affected by meteorological phenomena. Both 2023 and 2024 have seen high temperatures of a kind expected to occur just once in 30 years, resulting in rice supply shortages that have been dubbed the “Reiwa no Kome-sodo (rice shortage),” likening the situation to unrest caused by similar shortages in previous centuries. High temperatures caused by the effects of global warming are forecast to lead to further decline in both yield and quality in years to come. Combined with the impact of higher CO₂ concentrations, which are also said to be a factor in global warming, it seems likely that the deterioration in yields and quality will become even more serious than conventional projections suggest. Response measures are, however, progressing, including the development of heat-tolerant rice cultivars, and efforts to shed light on climate change processes to facilitate accurate forecasting of growth and yield.