In Hiroshima Prefecture, 81-year-old farmer Takeyuki Satokawa and his wife Masako, 77, ceased rice farming on their family paddies in 2024 due to advancing age and escalating costs. This past autumn marked their first time purchasing rice from another grower. A member of an agricultural cooperative noted that while training successors is crucial, many farmers have been too preoccupied with mere survival to do so.
Takeyuki Satokawa, 81, and his wife Masako, 77, residents of Higashihiroshima in Hiroshima Prefecture, ended their decades-long rice cultivation on small family paddies in 2024. The decision stemmed primarily from declining physical strength due to age and surging production costs, such as for fertilizers and fuel. In the autumn of 2025, they bought rice grown by others for the first time, and one early November day, they held bowls of freshly cooked rice and said together, “Let’s eat.”
The couple's story highlights broader challenges in Japan's aging rural agriculture. One member of an agricultural cooperative corporation explained, “Training a successor is important, but most farmers have been too busy trying to survive instead.” Similar issues are evident in regions like Shimane Prefecture, raising concerns about the sustainability of rice production.
Across Japan, the farming population is rapidly graying, compounded by rural depopulation, which jeopardizes the sector's future. More farmers, like the Satokawas, are opting out to avoid burdening their children, as reflected in sentiments like “It would only burden our children.” This trend fuels discussions on maintaining local food self-sufficiency amid shifting demographics.