To kuya who said Kita is a mere farmer, you don't know a shit about Japan, its history and the importance of agriculture to its economy.

- a thread

Japan, despite its fame on tech, was agrarian first and foremost. During the Bakufu period (before Meiji), they used rice as a form of currency. They had the kemi system, in which an official inspector visits the village to check the rice yield per year

They also had the jome system, a fixed amount of rice tax that remains unchanged for 3-5 years.

Also, daimyos use land as a display of power. The richer, more fertile the land, the more powerful they are. Why? Because they use rice to feed their samurai.

There were also farmer uprisings towards the end of Edo because of unequal land distribution. Come Meiji period, they focused on industrialization, but of course, they still need to feed their people. Agrarian reforms were even made during this period.

Japan's defeat in WWII made them reevaluate their choices. Postwar situation made agriculture less important bec Japan needed to catch up and build itself due to losses from the war. However, this doesn't mean agrIculture isn't being focused on.

Land reforms enabled farmers to have more land ownership, which made family farming on a small scale a dominant trait of Japanese agriculture (Ohno, 2006). However, agriculture only accounts for about 1% of its overall GNP.

But why making Kita a farmer? This is just my speculation. JP's population is aging.

Japan had initiatives to revitalize the agricultural sector, so young people will go back to their regions of origin instead of flocking to major cities: Vitalizing town, people, and jobs.

So, highlighting Kita being a farmer and even supplying the rice for Osamu's business says a lot.

I can't say or even I don't know if this was Furudate's intention. But saying things like why make him a 'mere farmer' speaks of privilege and a pea-sized brain.

DISCLAIMER:

Most of the info I pulled out from reports, readings, and books I have. Hahaha. The last two parts are only my personal opinions.

Maka-mere farmer ka kuya, ninth largest sa agriculture ang Japan in the world.