A government survey found that the number of core agricultural workers has more than halved since 2010, with an average age of 67.7
A 2026 survey conducted by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries found that the number of core agricultural workers (those engaged in self-employed farming as their main profession) decreased year on year by around 50,000 or 4.8%, for a total of 986,600. As the farming population ages, the decline shows no sign of slowing down. Since 2010, when there were 2.05 million, the number of core agricultural workers has more than halved.
The average age of agricultural workers is 67.7. People aged 70 or over account for 56.5% of the agricultural workforce, while those in their thirties make up just 3.8% and those under 30 a mere 1.2%. These figures highlight the severe demographic challenge facing Japan’s agricultural sector, with very few young people entering the profession.
Corporate Farms Show Growth
The total number of agricultural operations, including individually operated farms and corporate farms, decreased year on year by 4.4%, to 799,700. Individually operated farms decreased by 4.6% to 759,000, while corporate farms increased by 1.2% to 40,700.
The number of executives and staff for corporate agricultural operations increased year on year by 2,600, or 2.6%, to 100,900. This suggests that while individual family farms are declining, more structured corporate farming entities are slowly growing, potentially offering a model for the future of Japanese agriculture.
Land Utilization Trends
The average area of farmland utilized per agricultural operation was 3.8 hectares, for an increase of 5.6% over the previous year. In Hokkaidō, the average rose by 2.7% to 34.6 hectares, while in the rest of Japan it increased by 3.8% to 2.7 hectares.
Agricultural operations cultivating rice for sale totaled 499,500, a decrease of 38,800 or 7.2% compared to the previous year. Among agricultural operations selling rice, 58.7% cultivated it on less than one hectare of land, indicating that a majority of rice farmers operate on very small plots. Only 4.8% cultivated rice on 10 hectares or more.
Challenges Ahead
The data paints a sobering picture of Japanese agriculture, which continues to face a critical shortage of young farmers. With the workforce aging rapidly and fewer young people entering the sector, the government faces the challenge of finding ways to attract new entrants, promote farm consolidation, and maintain food production capacity.
The modest growth in corporate farms and the increase in average farm size suggest some structural changes are underway, but the pace of transformation may need to accelerate to address the long-term viability of Japan’s agricultural sector.
