Abstract: To address the shortage of agricultural labor caused by low birth rates and an aging population, Japan has adopted a dual strategy of “expanding sources” and “reducing expenditure”. The former focuses on increasing the labor force, while the latter aims to substitute labor through smart agriculture to reduce labor costs. Research shows that Japan's “expanding sources” policies have yielded limited results and face significant constraints in scalability; although the “reducing expenditure” approach is crucial, it encounters structural challenges under smallholder farming systems, including high implementation costs, inadequate technology adaptation, and lagging digital literacy among older workers. For international promotion of this dual strategy, prerequisites include large-scale land operations, coordinated legal and policy frameworks, mature social conditions, and cultural acceptance in target countries. The value of this dual approach for other countries lies not in mechanical replication, but in identifying and avoiding potential limitations when transferring policies.

Key words: aging of agricultural labor force, female workforce, foreign skilled trainee program, smart agriculture