yamaco 目次
05 Agree or Disagree; Japan should increase food self-sufficiency rate.
日本は食料自給率を上げるべきだ
POINTS: Changes in eating habits, Free trade pact, Abnormal weather and natural disasters, Agricultural population
観点： 食生活の変化、自由貿易協定、悪天候と自然災害、人口の高齢化
食料自給率の背景
日本の食料自給率は38％（2017年度）です。単純に考えると、私たち日本人は食べ物の62％を輸入に頼っていることになります。
総合食料自給率は熱量で計算する「カロリーベース」と、金額で計算する「生産額ベース」がありますが、日本は2つの基準とも長期的に低下しています。
日本の「食料自給率」はなぜ低いのか？ 食料自給率の問題点と真実
支持派：食料自給率、上げるべき（234語）
05 Agree or Disagree; Japan should increase food self-sufficiency rate.
POINTS: Free trade pact, Abnormal weather and natural disasters, Agricultural population
The expansion of international trade can help smooth international relations, but given Japan’s declining food self-sufficiency rate, we cannot be optimistic.
国際貿易の拡大は国際関係の円滑化に役立ちますが、日本の食料自給率の低下を考えると、楽観視はできません。
We are happy that the Free Trade Pact brings in a variety of foods from around the world, but if they significantly reduce our self-sufficiency, we could be at a long-term disadvantage in international relations. Reliance on imported food also depends on variable political relations with other countries, so I think imports should be kept within the appropriate range.
自由貿易協定によって世界中から様々な食料が入ってくるのは嬉しいですが、それによって自給率が著しく下がるようでは、国際関係において、長期的に見て不利な立場となりえるでしょう。輸入食料に依存することは、他国との変わりやすい政治関係に依存する事にもなるので、輸入は適正範囲にとどめるべきだと思います。
Besides, it is not imports but the technological development of “smart agriculture” that can fundamentally avoid the problems of the significantly declining agricultural population and agricultural land. We should invest more in smart agriculture that makes full use of the latest technologies such as robots and AI so that more young people can be attracted and engage in it.
さらに、著しく減少する農業人口と農地の問題を根本的に回避できるのは輸入ではなく、「スマート農業」の技術開発です。ロボットやAIなどの最新技術を駆使したスマート農業に、より多くの若者が惹きつけられ従事できるよう、もっと投資すべきだと思います。
Finally, the damage to crops caused by extreme weather, which is currently the most feared, is widespread worldwide, so food cannot be reliably imported. In an import-dependent situation, natural disasters in other countries can cause food prices to skyrocket, which can hurt Japanese households.
最後に、現在もっとも懸念されている異常気象による農作物の被害は、世界的に広がっているので、確実に食料が輸入できるわけではありません。輸入依存状況では、他国の自然災害によって、食料の値段が高騰し、日本の家計を苦しめる事もありえます。
Overall, I am in favor of free trade brought about by globalization, but we should avoid situations where it significantly reduces domestic productivity. As with smooth international transactions, we should improve our crop production technology to the extent that it will not be a problem in the event of an emergency.
概して、グローバリゼーションによってもたらされる自由貿易に賛成ですが、それが国内の生産性を大幅に低下させる状況は避けるべきです。スムーズな国際間取引と同様に、いざというときにも困らない程度の農作物生産技術を高めるべきです。
賛成派：本文全文（音源つき）
The expansion of international trade can help smooth international relations, but given Japan’s declining food self-sufficiency rate, we cannot be optimistic.
We are happy that the Free Trade Pact brings in a variety of foods from around the world, but if they significantly reduce our self-sufficiency, we could be at a long-term disadvantage in international relations. Reliance on imported food also depends on variable political relations with other countries, so I think imports should be kept within the appropriate range.
Besides, it is not imports but the technological development of “smart agriculture” that can fundamentally avoid the problems of the significantly declining agricultural population and agricultural land. We should invest more in smart agriculture that makes full use of the latest technologies such as robots and AI so that more young people can be attracted and engage in it.
Finally, the damage to crops caused by extreme weather, which is currently the most feared, is widespread worldwide, so food cannot be reliably imported. In an import-dependent situation, natural disasters in other countries can cause food prices to skyrocket, which can hurt Japanese households.
Overall, we are in favor of free trade brought about by globalization, but we should avoid situations where it significantly reduces domestic productivity. As with smooth international transactions, we should improve our crop production technology to the extent that it will not be a problem in the event of an emergency.
反対派：食料自足率、上げなくてもOK（220語）
05 Agree or Disagree; Japan should increase food self-sufficiency rate.
POINTS: Changes in eating habits, Free trade pact, Abnormal weather and natural disasters, Agricultural population
From a global perspective, smooth international transactions will help each country to flourish in its own areas of expertise, so I don’t think it is necessary to increase the food self-sufficiency rate that much.
グローバルな視点から見ると、円滑な国際取引がそれぞれの得意分野での繁栄につながるので、食料自給率をそれほど上げる必要はないと思います。
To begin with, the concept of self-sufficiency is old-fashioned in today’s world where free trade agreements allow food to be enjoyed around the world. Eating food that cannot be produced in Japan will deepen cross-cultural understanding and improve relations between nations.
まず、自由貿易協定によって世界中の食べ物を享受できる現代社会において、自給自足の概念は古風です。日本では生産できない食料を食べることで、異文化理解も深まり、国家間の関係も良好になります。
Moreover, as most Japanese enjoy international cuisine every day, it is not realistic to reduce food imports. Of course, the increase in the number of children suffering from obesity and diabetes is due to the westernization of food, but that does not mean that we can go back. Now that only a handful of Japanese can live on pure Japanese food, it is natural to rely on imports for food.
更に、日本人のほとんどが、日々、多国籍料理を楽しんでいる中で、食料輸入を減らすのは現実的とは言えません。もちろん、肥満や糖尿病を患う子供が増えたのは、食の欧米化に起因しますが、だからと言って、今更後戻りできない状況です。純粋な日本食のみで生活できる日本人がほんの一握りになった以上、日本では生産できない食料を輸入に頼るのは当然だと言えます。
What is more, “how to secure imports firmly” is a critical issue in Japan, where the number of producers and agricultural land is drastically decreasing, and the terrible natural disasters cause damage to agricultural products year by year.
もっと言えば、生産者と農地が激減し、自然災害が毎年農作物に被害を与えている日本にとって、「いかに輸入をしっかりと確保するか」が重要な問題です。
In conclusion, it should be emphasized whether food imports can be secured even in the event of a natural disaster while enjoying westernized food and free trade, rather than being swayed by the declining food self-sufficiency rate,
結論として、食料自給率が減少しているという数字に踊らされるのではなく、欧米化された食と自由貿易を享受しながら、自然災害時にも食料輸入が確保できるか、と言う点を重要視すべきです。
反対文：本文全文 （音源つき）
From a global perspective, smooth international transactions will help each country to flourish in its own areas of expertise, so I don’t think it is necessary to increase the food self-sufficiency rate that much.
To begin with, the concept of self-sufficiency is old-fashioned in today’s world where free trade agreements allow food to be enjoyed around the world. Eating food that cannot be produced in Japan will deepen cross-cultural understanding and improve relations between nations.
Moreover, as most Japanese enjoy international cuisine every day, it is not realistic to reduce food imports. Of course, the increase in the number of children suffering from obesity and diabetes is due to the westernization of food, but that does not mean that we can go back. Now that only a handful of Japanese can live on pure Japanese food, it is natural to rely on imports for food.
What is more, “how to secure imports firmly” is a critical issue in Japan, where the number of producers and agricultural land is drastically decreasing, and the terrible natural disasters cause damage to agricultural products year by year.
In conclusion, it should be emphasized whether food imports can be secured even in the event of a natural disaster while enjoying westernized food and free trade, rather than being swayed by the declining food self-sufficiency rate.
まとめ
毎日の食事がどこからきているのか、日ごろあまり意識することはないですが、北海道に移住してから、「ご近所野菜」というラベルの商品がずらりと並んでいるのに驚きました。
国内でも自給率が高い北海道にいるにも関わらず、輸入食材を買うことも多いなあ、、、と食生活を見直すきっかけとなりました。
輸出入には賛成ですが、それにかかる燃料（環境汚染につながる）を考慮すると、少し高くても、やはり「国産」が最良の選択肢かもしれません。
皆さんはいかがでしょうか？
こちらの記事もおススメです：英検1級ライティング Agree or Disagree: 外国語学習は不要になる
