Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (農林水産省, Nōrin-suisan-shō) is a cabinet level ministry in the government of Japan responsible for oversight of the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries.

The current Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is Taku Etō.

[1] The Constitution of the Empire of Japan provided for the creation of a Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce (農商務省, Nōshōmu-shō), which was established in 1881, with Tani Tateki as its first minister.

In 1978, the name of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was expanded to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to better reflect the ministry's role in guaranteeing the Japanese public a safe food supply, and to protect producers and workers in the food production industries.

The primary function of the ministry is to set quality standards for food products, supervise commodity markets and food sales, and to undertake land reclamation and land improvement projects.