Rice Farming

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.