Japan sees largest-ever fall in number of independent farmers to 1.02 mil.

The number of self-employed farmworkers in Japan tumbled 25.1 percent in 2025 from five years ago to 1.02 million, marking the largest-ever decline, government data showed Friday, as the sector that is critical to food security continues its aging-driven decline.The average age of so-called core agricultural workers fell to 67.6 from 67.8 in 2020, marking the first drop since 1995, reflecting the impact of retirements on the workforce, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.The total number of agricultural workers in the country fell by 342,000 from the previous su…READ FULL ARTICLE