Japan's agricultural sector has undergone significant changes in recent years as the nation continues to industrialize and modernize successfully.1 One of the most remarkable changes has been the development of the dairying industry—a part of the general trend toward a more commercially oriented agriculture. Changes in the agricultural land use reflect the rising standard of living and the improvement in the diet of the people. As in all nations which have become relatively modernized, the percentage of starchy foods in the diet has declined as the percentage of animal protein has risen,2 in part because of the increase in the growing consumption of milk and other dairy products. Per capita consump tion of raw milk has increased from 8.5 grams per day before World War II to 100 grams in 1965, the highest rate of increase among the major categories of food consumed in Japan.3