Dodgy dumplings and lethal liver: risk, food terrorism, and Sino–Japanese relations

Abstract

The nature of food risk in Japan has undergone a qualitative change in recent years. This article synthesises insights from psychology, economics, and political science into an interdisciplinary risk approach to show how international relations impact consumer decisions in Japan by outlining how food risks are constructed and framed within existing narrative frameworks. To this end, the article employs two case studies: the gyōza incident in 2008, when poisoned dumplings imported from China caused ten people to fall ill, and contaminated beef incident in 2011, in which five people died and dozens more were hospitalised after consuming raw beef tainted due to industrial negligence. These cases are analysed in the context of Japan's low rate of food self-sufficiency, deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations and the ‘China threat theory’, and perceptions of food safety. The article shows how, despite suffering recent major domestic food contamination incidents and lethal domestic food terrorism, Japanese food is perceived as safe and healthy whereas imported food, and especially Chinese food, is perceived as dangerous and unhealthy. This is exemplified in the domestic response to the two cases: the gyōza incident led to a national outcry, mass hysteria, and calls for a ban on Chinese food imports. Conversely, the raw beef contamination incident – the deadliest case of food contamination in Japan since the 1990s – saw a far more mixed response, as industry, media, and consumers called for the government to allow individuals to take on self-responsibility to mediate their own risks regarding (domestically produced Japanese) food. The article concludes by pointing out that, while behavioural sciences can tell us important things about risk, the political and international context must also be considered.

Keywords:

• Food security
• Sino-Japanese relations
• risk
• bioterrorism
• food terrorism
• Japan

Acknowledgements

I thank the participants at the East Asia Net Workshop, Lyon University (October 2013) and at the Sino-Japanese Relations Workshop at Leeds University (January 2014), as well as Ra Mason, Glenn Hook, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. At the very least the beef was labelled as Japanese and after police investigations into both companies no evidence emerged to the contrary (Kita Nippon Shimbun, 11 May 2011).

2. Prior to 2003, this figure had hovered between 45 per cent and 55 per cent for over a decade. Also, the question is posed a dichotomy, meaning that in 2007 63.5 per cent stated that they did not feel affinity towards China, and in 2008 this reached 66.6 per cent. By 2012, this number had reached 80 per cent, where it remained in 2013 (Cabinet Office Opinion Polls 2013).

3. Milk tainted with melamine killed six children and made over 300,000 ill. The melamine was added to water-down the milk while making it appear that it had a higher protein content (BBC News 25 January 2010).

4. Culinary nationalism as a phenomenon is hardly unique to Japan, the Japanese brand of culinary nationalism has its own characteristics, see Cwiertka (2006) for a comprehensive history.

5. The worker was arrested in 2010, and in January 2014 was sentenced to life in prison (Reuters 20 January 2014).

6. Some sources cite the number as four, however, the MHLW's own findings indicate the number as five (MHLW 2011a).

7. Of the 49,257 who responded, 32,216 or 65.4 per cent were against the ban.

8. For a detailed study of the changing relationship between the individual, the state, risk, and self-responsibility in Japan see Hook and Takeda (2007).

9. Based on searches of using the Nikkei Telecom database, using the following search terms and periods: gyōza, 30 January– 29 February 2008; yukke, 30 April – 30 May 2011.

10. Search performed on Nikkei Telecom database, using the term ‘Akurifūzu’, the Japanese name for Aqli Foods (a direct comparison with the other cases is impossible because of the large number of different contaminated foods involved).