The Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas Basic Act was enacted in 1999 to replace the earlier Agriculture Basic Act. A food self-sufficiency rate was newly established as a policy objective in the Act. This paper examines in detail why food self-sufficiency rates became a policy target for policy development in the Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas Basic Act. In addition, the reason why the policy target of food self-sufficiency rates was implemented was explained from an academic perspective based on the power relationship of the three involved actors.