Comprehensive data on paddy field management by region in Japan

The characteristics of rice paddy farming in Japan vary depending on the region and the scale of each individual farm. Many individual farmers are small-scale farmers, and improving management efficiency is a challenge. In major rice-producing areas such as the Tohoku region and Niigata Prefecture, there are vast paddy fields that make large-scale operations possible, but the aging of the population and a lack of successors are serious issues. In urban areas, farmland is decreasing and being converted, resulting in a shrinking area of paddy fields. In some regions, there are farmers who are making profits by producing high-value-added rice or branded rice, but overall there is a need to expand scale and improve efficiency.