The Diplomacy of Food Dependence

Table Of Contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• List of abbreviations
• Disclaimer
• Introduction
• A historical view of Japan’s food dependence
• Structure and sources of the book
• CHAPTER 1 Punishing Japan: The food problem in 1945–46
• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 The effects of the war on Japan’s food production
• 1.3 Operation Starvation
• 1.4 Takenoko no seikatsu and the beginning of the Occupation
• 1.5 The Allies’ contrasts over Japan’s food imports
• 1.6 The impact of Food May Day
• 1.7 Navigating food scarcity: The Whaling Expedition in the Antarctic
• 1.8 Conclusion
• CHAPTER 2 Helping Japan: Food aid, militarization, and the economic recovery
• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 The containment and the American food aids
• 2.3 Food aids to Japan: L.A.R.A., G.A.R.I.O.A., and E.R.O.A.
• 2.4 The Mutual Security Act
• 2.5 The Public Law 480
• 2.6 Conclusion
• CHAPTER 3 Pressing Japan: Gaiatsu and the “Soybean Embargo”
• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 Gaiatsu or the new black ships
• 3.3 The liberalization of soybeans
• 3.4 The 1970s food crisis and the “soybean embargo”
• 3.5 The impact of the crisis on Japan
• 3.6 Resource diplomacy and comprehensive security
• 3.7 Conclusion
• Conclusions
• Bibliography
• Primary Sources
• Archives
• Digital Archives
• Reports
• Diaries and memoirs
• Other
• Secondary Sources (books, miscellaneous, scientific articles)

Felice Farina

The Diplomacy of Food Dependence

Japan–United States Relations, 1945–1973

New York ∙ Berlin ∙ Bruxelles ∙ Chennai ∙ Lausanne ∙ Oxford

Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. The German National Library lists this publication in the German National Bibliography; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Farina, Felice, 1986- author.

Title: The diplomacy of food dependence : Japan-United States relations, 1945-1973 /
Felice Farina.

Description: First edition. | New York, NY : Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2025. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2025015841 (print) | LCCN 2025015842 (ebook) | ISBN 9783034358057 (hardback) | ISBN 9783034358033 (ebook) | ISBN 9783034358040 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Food industry and trade--Japan--History--20th century. | Food habits--Japan--
History--20th century. | Agriculture and state--Japan--History--20th century. | Nutrition policy--Japan--History--20th century. | Japan--Foreign economic relations--United States x
History--20th century. | United States--Foreign economic relations--Japan x History--
20th century.

Classification: LCC HD9016.J42 F37 2025 (print) | LCC HD9016.J42 (ebook)

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025015841

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025015842

Cover design by Peter Lang Group AG

ISBN 978-3-0343-5805-7 (print)

ISBN 978-3-0343-5803-3 (ePDF)

ISBN 978-3-0343-5804-0 (ePub)

DOI 10.3726/b22828

© 2025 Peter Lang Group AG, Lausanne (Switzerland)

Published by Peter Lang Publishing Inc., New York (USA)

info@peterlang.com - www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.

All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.

Any utilization outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution.

This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.

This publication has been peer reviewed.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

List of abbreviations

Disclaimer

Introduction

A historical view of Japan’s food dependence

Structure and sources of the book

CHAPTER 1 Punishing Japan: The food problem in 1945–46

1.1 Introduction

1.2 The effects of the war on Japan’s food production

1.3 Operation Starvation

1.4 Takenoko no seikatsu and the beginning of the Occupation

1.5 The Allies’ contrasts over Japan’s food imports

1.6 The impact of Food May Day

1.7 Navigating food scarcity: The Whaling Expedition in the Antarctic

1.8 Conclusion

CHAPTER 2 Helping Japan: Food aid, militarization, and the economic recovery

2.1 Introduction

2.2 The containment and the American food aids

2.3 Food aids to Japan: L.A.R.A., G.A.R.I.O.A., and E.R.O.A.

2.4 The Mutual Security Act

2.5 The Public Law 480

2.6 Conclusion

CHAPTER 3 Pressing Japan: Gaiatsu and the “Soybean Embargo”

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Gaiatsu or the new black ships

3.3 The liberalization of soybeans

3.4 The 1970s food crisis and the “soybean embargo”

3.5 The impact of the crisis on Japan