Women’s Empowerment in Agricultural Entrepreneurship in Japan

Abstract

Women in Japan have almost always been intertwined with agriculture. However, agri-women could not see the value of their deserve in agricultural production processes. The increasing importance of agriculture in the economic growth and the raising awareness on food safety brought the issue of women's empowerment in agriculture. Although the general entrepreneurship tendencies are not high in Japan, in order to ensure that agriculture has positive effects on the economy, it is seen that the arrangements for the development of agri-women entrepreneurship have accelerated after 2015. Our study is aimed to reveal the situation of women in agricultural works, the reasons that lead women to work in agriculture, the support provided to women as agricultural entrepreneurs and the problems have experienced by Japanese women entrepreneurs in agriculture. Based on these statements, it is also aimed to present concrete proposals that will ensure the empowerment of women in Japan on the axis of agricultural entrepreneurship. According to the main results, women entrepreneurship in agriculture is getting more attention due to the increasing importance of safe food production in agriculture and agricultural factors for economic development. On the other hand, it is understood that more social consciousness is needed to increase the women entrepreneurship in agriculture.