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3.209. Accelerated and super-accelerated examination programmes reduced average FA pendency to 2.3 months and 0.7 months, respectively (...) Accelerated examination for inventions involving environment-related technologies is under trial. (...)

4.7. (...) In September 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) launched the process of developing the next five-year plan, to be released in 2020. Agricultural policy continues to emphasize self-sufficiency, and the Plan sets self sufficiency targets for FY2025 of 45% on a calorie basis and 73% on a production value basis, as well as a self-sufficiency target for feeds of 40% for FY2025. In 2017, self-sufficiency on a calorie basis was as 37%, under target due to climate change affecting the production of main crops such as wheat and soybeans (...)

4.15. The Act on the Support for Strengthening Agricultural Competitiveness entered into force in 2017. Its stated purpose is to promote structural reforms and business entry to the agricultural production-related industries in Japan, so as to ensure the sustainable development of agricultural and agricultural production-related industries. (...)

4.31. Three direct payments programmes fall under the Act on Multi-Functionality of Agriculture : (i) the direct payments for environmentally friendly agriculture, under which a total area of 79,465 ha was estimated to receive an average payment of JPY 56,808 per ha in FY2019; (...) (iii) direct payments to maintain and enhance multi-functionality, under which unit prices depend on the type of land use and activity, to conserve or improve local resources, including mowing of farmland slopes or simple repairing of channels. (...)

4.41. The MAFF continues to provide direct payments to farmers who produce crops other than table rice in the paddy field, to optimize the use of paddy fields ; according to the authorities, this scheme aims to maintain the favourable environment of paddy fields, and thus prevent floods or soil erosion, to cultivate water resources, and to preserve the natural environment through effective use of paddy field. The budgetary cost of payments was JPY 320.0 billion in 2017 and JPY 305.9 billion in 2018.

4.74. Japan's latest overall strategy is defined by the New Basic Plan for Fisheries, which was formulated in 2017 and sets a self-sufficiency ratio for FY2017 of 70%. The aim of the strategy is to enhance fisheries' sustainable resource management, to make fisheries a growing industry through increased productivity, and to maintain fisheries communities and increase their revenues. Actions and programmes to that effect include export promotion initiatives to identify and help potential exporters; encouragement to local producers to make their own plans to find and exploit potentially available resources; incentives for resources management and sustainability; incentives for young fishermen; training and education programmes; research programmes; and relaxation of the conditions of employment of foreign workers in the sector.

4.76. The main laws concerning the fisheries sector include: the Fisheries Act (last amended in 2018) (the Basic Law on the Fisheries Policy of 2001 (last amended in 2014); (...); the Law to Ensure Sustainable Aquaculture Production of 1999 (last amended in 2014); (...); the Act on Preservation and Control of Living Marine Resources of 1996 (last amended in 2007); the Act on the Protection of Fishery Resources of 1951 (last amended in 2015) (...).

4.77. On 8 December 2018, the Government promulgated the first substantial revision of the Fisheries Act (...) The revision consists of three main elements: (...)
• secondly, a system of Individual Quotas (IQs) within the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) was introduced. Conceptually, in the absence of such IQs, fishers are implicitly encouraged to fish as much as they can, as quickly as they can, which may lead to an overfishing. The IQs are not transferable, except from one vessel to another belonging to the same owner. In addition, the TAC system, which applied to only seven species, was extended to blue fin tuna in 2018, to ensure compliance with the relevant conservation management measure taken by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. The TAC system is expected to be extended to cover most catches; (...)

4.80. Japan is a member of the following Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs): Indian Ocean Tuna Commission; Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission; Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission; International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna; Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna; General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean; South East Atlantic Fishery Organization; Convention on the Conservation and Management of Pollock Resources in the Central Bering Sea; North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission; Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources; Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization; South Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement; North Pacific Fisheries Commission; and Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

Table 4.15 Fisheries subsidies notified in July 2019 for FY2016 and FY2017
Name of the programme: Programmes for development and adaptation of new technologies and conservation of fishing grounds;
Level and form of the subsidy: National; Grants, etc.
Policy objective pursued: To support fishermen and other organizations to develop and adapt new technologies related to fisheries, such as information and communication technology, to mitigate or prevent damage by harmful marine species and red-tide, and to remove marine wastes;
Beneficiaries: Fishermen and associations thereof;
Duration and amount: FY2016 (April 2016-March 2017): JPY 445 million; FY2017 (April 2017-March 2018): JPY 604 million