Nicole Freiner | Bryant University (original) (raw)
Papers by Nicole Freiner
This book chronicles Japan’s rice farmers who live in mainly rural areas in the west and south of... more This book chronicles Japan’s rice farmers who live in mainly rural areas in the west and south of Japan through original interviews conducted in Japanese. It argues that current agricultural policy as well as the tightening relationship between the US and Japan is a death sentence for a traditional lifestyle that is vital to Japan’s notion of national identity. The project covers recent agricultural policies, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and its potential consequences on Japan’s food sovereignty and documents the effect of these policies on rice farmers. This volume is ideal for those interested in Japan’s agricultural policies and rural and traditional Japanese lifestyle
Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks, 2012
This Chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the different movements and citizens groups in ... more This Chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the different movements and citizens groups in Japan who have taken up the issues of food safety, food security, and consumer health. The response of these groups to Japan’s trade liberalization which in the past led to the introduction of genetically modified organisms to the Japanese food supply, is discussed along with the reaction of the government to citizens concerns with regard to GMOs. An analysis of Japan’s policy framework on GMOs is presented. Also included are the citizen’s groups response to food safety concerns after the triple disasters and the government’s response, which was heavily criticized by these groups, is also presented.
ASIANetwork Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts, 2014
The citizens' and environmental movements of the 1960s and 70s had great political success in Jap... more The citizens' and environmental movements of the 1960s and 70s had great political success in Japan, culminating in the Special Session of the Diet in 1970 that enacted 14 anti-pollution laws. These activist groups fought denials of responsibility on the part of industry and unresponsiveness on the part of local governments. Women were at the forefront of this type of activism during the 1960s and 70s, and led many of the citizens' environmental movements during this time. More recently, during the environmental catastrophe caused by the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, women and mothers have been vocal protesters. Environmental movements have particular political salience because of the success women have achieved in this area both in policy change and also roles in formal politics. Women have consistently achieved these successes at the same time as they performed their roles as mothers and home managers; these roles have been used strategically to mobilize women with great effect, and also were central to the values with which the citizens' movements defined themselves politically.
Japan Studies Association Journal, 2011
Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior
International Agreements such as the WTO AOA, and the CPTPP are attempting to significantly alter... more International Agreements such as the WTO AOA, and the CPTPP are attempting to significantly alter the way in which countries control trade and address local control over key resources such as food and water. This chapter examines these trends in the context of sovereignty and the attempt to preserve agriculture as a cultural performance in Japan. The focus of the CPTPP was the agreement between Japan and the United States but Japan moved forward with the other member countries and is also strengthening its economic relationship with Europe and other Asian allies. The story of meeting up with international agreements and using free trade agreements (FTAs) in counterpoint to global agreements such as the WTO also demonstrates Japan’s domestic politics and the tension between different domestic constituencies. This chapter discusses the way in which Japan’s agricultural policymakers have gone to great lengths to protect their rice growing infrastructure against both domestic and intern...
Abstract: This dissertation examines women's centers in Japan; these government institutions ... more Abstract: This dissertation examines women's centers in Japan; these government institutions were established in order to promote women's formal political participation. The women's centers are designed to raise awareness about public issues and provide ...
In Japan, the impacts of international women’s year and United Nations initiatives for gender equ... more In Japan, the impacts of international women’s year and United Nations initiatives for gender equality have brought about a change in domestic gender policies. One significant policy change is the creation of gender centers, which are designed to address the status of women in society and women’s access to the formal political realm. Recent developments in the activities of these women’s centers including their role in the new domestic violence laws illustrate the existence of two strains of feminist thinking in Japan, which are elucidated and explained with reference Japanese women’s centers.
JA Zenchu, National Union of Cooperatives is arguably the most important agricultural cooperative... more JA Zenchu, National Union of Cooperatives is arguably the most important agricultural cooperative in the world, this chapter details the way in which the JA shapes rice policy in Japan through both its national level activities down to the local level work across Japan. Detailed information regarding these activities and outlines of the services that it provides is included along with JA Zenchu’s role as a policy implementor for several of the policies discussed in Chapter 2. The impact of recent reforms is examined as well. Despite the array of activities and significant power that JA wields, it has not acted as an advocate for farmers. Rather, the organization, like Japan’s agricultural policy infrastructure itself, uses its considerable power to perpetuate its own existence by shielding itself from upper level reforms. Moreover, although the organization could promote activities that would make Japan’s rice growers more competitive on the global market by advocating for programs ...
This Chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the different movements and citizens groups in ... more This Chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the different movements and citizens groups in Japan who have taken up the issues of food safety, food security, and consumer health. The response of these groups to Japan’s trade liberalization which in the past led to the introduction of genetically modified organisms to the Japanese food supply, is discussed along with the reaction of the government to citizens concerns with regard to GMOs. An analysis of Japan’s policy framework on GMOs is presented. Also included are the citizen’s groups response to food safety concerns after the triple disasters and the government’s response, which was heavily criticized by these groups, is also presented.
The chapter focuses on the political institutions that make up Japan’s agricultural policymaking ... more The chapter focuses on the political institutions that make up Japan’s agricultural policymaking framework and the Ministry of Agricuture, Fisheries and Forestry which is at its center. Along with the MAFF, the policies and laws behind rice are examined. The history of Japan’s recent agricultural policies and the relationship between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan’s rural farm lobby is explained. This chapter will also discuss recent reforms targeting support for rice farmers, the rice distribution system and reform of Japan’s most important cooperative, JA Zenchu is the focus of Chapter 4. A detailed and comprehensive overview which situates recent policies regarding agriculture and rice is included here with details regarding the prior system of support for farmers called the gentan and Japan’s commitments to trade agreements.
Engagement with the notions of “traditional” related to the narrative of rice and its place in Ja... more Engagement with the notions of “traditional” related to the narrative of rice and its place in Japanese culture is presented with a discussion regarding the relationship of rice and the traditional Japanese diet or washoku to ideas about Japanese identities. The research methodology, theoretical focus, and overview of current research in the field will be included as well. This book uses a qualitative methodology with in-depth interviews, which provides rich in-depth information that will examine sites and interviewees across Japan. A literature review is also presented which provides a context for the book and situates it within the disciplines of political science, history, and social science.
Rice and Agricultural Policies in Japan
This book chronicles Japan’s rice farmers who live in mainly rural areas in the west and south of... more This book chronicles Japan’s rice farmers who live in mainly rural areas in the west and south of Japan through original interviews conducted in Japanese. It argues that current agricultural policy as well as the tightening relationship between the US and Japan is a death sentence for a traditional lifestyle that is vital to Japan’s notion of national identity. The project covers recent agricultural policies, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and its potential consequences on Japan’s food sovereignty and documents the effect of these policies on rice farmers. This volume is ideal for those interested in Japan’s agricultural policies and rural and traditional Japanese lifestyle
Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks, 2012
This Chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the different movements and citizens groups in ... more This Chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the different movements and citizens groups in Japan who have taken up the issues of food safety, food security, and consumer health. The response of these groups to Japan’s trade liberalization which in the past led to the introduction of genetically modified organisms to the Japanese food supply, is discussed along with the reaction of the government to citizens concerns with regard to GMOs. An analysis of Japan’s policy framework on GMOs is presented. Also included are the citizen’s groups response to food safety concerns after the triple disasters and the government’s response, which was heavily criticized by these groups, is also presented.
ASIANetwork Exchange: A Journal for Asian Studies in the Liberal Arts, 2014
The citizens' and environmental movements of the 1960s and 70s had great political success in Jap... more The citizens' and environmental movements of the 1960s and 70s had great political success in Japan, culminating in the Special Session of the Diet in 1970 that enacted 14 anti-pollution laws. These activist groups fought denials of responsibility on the part of industry and unresponsiveness on the part of local governments. Women were at the forefront of this type of activism during the 1960s and 70s, and led many of the citizens' environmental movements during this time. More recently, during the environmental catastrophe caused by the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, women and mothers have been vocal protesters. Environmental movements have particular political salience because of the success women have achieved in this area both in policy change and also roles in formal politics. Women have consistently achieved these successes at the same time as they performed their roles as mothers and home managers; these roles have been used strategically to mobilize women with great effect, and also were central to the values with which the citizens' movements defined themselves politically.
Japan Studies Association Journal, 2011
Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior
International Agreements such as the WTO AOA, and the CPTPP are attempting to significantly alter... more International Agreements such as the WTO AOA, and the CPTPP are attempting to significantly alter the way in which countries control trade and address local control over key resources such as food and water. This chapter examines these trends in the context of sovereignty and the attempt to preserve agriculture as a cultural performance in Japan. The focus of the CPTPP was the agreement between Japan and the United States but Japan moved forward with the other member countries and is also strengthening its economic relationship with Europe and other Asian allies. The story of meeting up with international agreements and using free trade agreements (FTAs) in counterpoint to global agreements such as the WTO also demonstrates Japan’s domestic politics and the tension between different domestic constituencies. This chapter discusses the way in which Japan’s agricultural policymakers have gone to great lengths to protect their rice growing infrastructure against both domestic and intern...
Abstract: This dissertation examines women's centers in Japan; these government institutions ... more Abstract: This dissertation examines women's centers in Japan; these government institutions were established in order to promote women's formal political participation. The women's centers are designed to raise awareness about public issues and provide ...
In Japan, the impacts of international women’s year and United Nations initiatives for gender equ... more In Japan, the impacts of international women’s year and United Nations initiatives for gender equality have brought about a change in domestic gender policies. One significant policy change is the creation of gender centers, which are designed to address the status of women in society and women’s access to the formal political realm. Recent developments in the activities of these women’s centers including their role in the new domestic violence laws illustrate the existence of two strains of feminist thinking in Japan, which are elucidated and explained with reference Japanese women’s centers.
JA Zenchu, National Union of Cooperatives is arguably the most important agricultural cooperative... more JA Zenchu, National Union of Cooperatives is arguably the most important agricultural cooperative in the world, this chapter details the way in which the JA shapes rice policy in Japan through both its national level activities down to the local level work across Japan. Detailed information regarding these activities and outlines of the services that it provides is included along with JA Zenchu’s role as a policy implementor for several of the policies discussed in Chapter 2. The impact of recent reforms is examined as well. Despite the array of activities and significant power that JA wields, it has not acted as an advocate for farmers. Rather, the organization, like Japan’s agricultural policy infrastructure itself, uses its considerable power to perpetuate its own existence by shielding itself from upper level reforms. Moreover, although the organization could promote activities that would make Japan’s rice growers more competitive on the global market by advocating for programs ...
This Chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the different movements and citizens groups in ... more This Chapter presents a comprehensive overview of the different movements and citizens groups in Japan who have taken up the issues of food safety, food security, and consumer health. The response of these groups to Japan’s trade liberalization which in the past led to the introduction of genetically modified organisms to the Japanese food supply, is discussed along with the reaction of the government to citizens concerns with regard to GMOs. An analysis of Japan’s policy framework on GMOs is presented. Also included are the citizen’s groups response to food safety concerns after the triple disasters and the government’s response, which was heavily criticized by these groups, is also presented.
The chapter focuses on the political institutions that make up Japan’s agricultural policymaking ... more The chapter focuses on the political institutions that make up Japan’s agricultural policymaking framework and the Ministry of Agricuture, Fisheries and Forestry which is at its center. Along with the MAFF, the policies and laws behind rice are examined. The history of Japan’s recent agricultural policies and the relationship between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan’s rural farm lobby is explained. This chapter will also discuss recent reforms targeting support for rice farmers, the rice distribution system and reform of Japan’s most important cooperative, JA Zenchu is the focus of Chapter 4. A detailed and comprehensive overview which situates recent policies regarding agriculture and rice is included here with details regarding the prior system of support for farmers called the gentan and Japan’s commitments to trade agreements.
Engagement with the notions of “traditional” related to the narrative of rice and its place in Ja... more Engagement with the notions of “traditional” related to the narrative of rice and its place in Japanese culture is presented with a discussion regarding the relationship of rice and the traditional Japanese diet or washoku to ideas about Japanese identities. The research methodology, theoretical focus, and overview of current research in the field will be included as well. This book uses a qualitative methodology with in-depth interviews, which provides rich in-depth information that will examine sites and interviewees across Japan. A literature review is also presented which provides a context for the book and situates it within the disciplines of political science, history, and social science.
Rice and Agricultural Policies in Japan