Japan's rice farms rotting from inside despite protectionism

Ryugasaki, Japan

SHUICHI Yokota may be the future of Japan's struggling rice industry. The 38-year-old is about half the age of most growers and he relies on cutting-edge technology to cultivate vast paddy fields that eclipse the bulk of the country's rice plots.

And Mr Yokota doesn't fear opening up to foreign competition - taboo in a place where rice is a sacred cow that is protected by subsidies and massive tariffs. His farm in Ryugasaki, a community north of Tokyo, has ballooned more than five-fold in 15 years into an operation spanning 112 hectares - almost 30 times bigger than the tiny commercial rice fields commonly found in the area.