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2026 Vol.8, Issue 1

Review Article

A review study on Japan’s smart agriculture package project
Dong hyeon Kang1
,
Sang-Hyeon Kang2
,
Ho-seung Jang2
,
Sangho Lee2
,
Choung Keun Lee2*
1Department of Liberal Arts, Korean National University of Agriculture and Fisheries, Jeonju 54875, Korea
2Department of Agricultural Engineering, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Jeonju 54874, Korea
*Corresponding Author
31 March 2026. pp. 1-9
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Abstract

Japan has actively promoted smart agriculture as a national strategy in response to a 45.7% decline in the agricultural population from 2.05 million in 2010 to 1.11 million in 2024, with 72% of workers aged over 65. The government supported 50% of the smart machinery adoption cost and conducted demonstration projects in 217 regions. As a result, labor time was reduced by up to 80%, with 18% for rice transplanters, 32% for tractors, 61% for drones, and 80% for automated water gates. Cultivated rice areas expanded from 164 to 196 ha, and export rice production increased by 2.8 times. Economic analysis showed increased revenues and profits, with corporations reporting an average income of 4.51 million yen per person and an operating profit margin of 8.1%. However, high equipment costs, fragmented farmland, lack of skilled personnel, and operational constraints remain barriers to wider adoption. In 2024, 6.3 trillion won (88%) of the 7.2 trillion won smart agriculture budget was allocated to infrastructure development. This case offers three key implications for Korea: (1) continuous research and development in smart agriculture, economic analysis based on field experiments, and the provision of user-friendly information are essential for the widespread adoption of the technology. (2) a cross-ministerial governance system and infrastructure investment are critical, and (3) practical, field-oriented training systems must be established for young farmers and technical personnel.

Keywords
Smart agriculture
Agricultural policy
Agricultural machinery
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
Farm management
References
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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Society of Precision Agriculture
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국정밀농업학회
  • Journal Title :Precision Agriculture Science and Technology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :정밀농업과학기술
  • Volume : 8
  • No :1
  • Pages :1-9
  • Received Date : 2025-12-30
  • Revised Date : 2026-01-26
  • Accepted Date : 2026-01-28
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.22765/pastj.20260001
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