Envisioning transition pathways for a sustainable meat and protein supply system in Japan: A Research through Design approach

The transition toward sustainable protein supply is constrained by consumer, supply-side, and policy barriers that are often studied separately, leaving unclear how a cross-domain lock-in diagnosis can inform multilevel intervention pathways. In Japan, small, dispersed farmland and imported-feed dependence intersect with established expectations of price and convenience. This exploratory case study examined Japan’s meat and protein supply system through a Research through Design approach integrating the multi-level perspective and Transition Design. Interviews with 21 participants and a co-creation workshop were used to structure current problems, envision desirable futures, and backcast potential interventions. The diagnosis showed how regulative, normative, and cognitive rules mutually reinforce these structural and cultural constraints. The research team synthesized participant outputs into three contrasting scenarios: pasture-raised lean beef, localized circular communities, and food-printer technology. Cross-scenario comparison yielded two provisional design principles: creating experiential proximity, which makes unfamiliar transition options tangible through situated experience, and culturally situated value translation, which connects sustainability values with meanings embedded in existing food cultures. The principles were instantiated differently and combined with pathway-specific system and governance components, including grading standards and sales channels, interorganizational coordination, and food law, labeling, and safety standards. The contribution lies in translating fragmented actor perspectives and a cross-domain lock-in diagnosis into a future-oriented intervention portfolio while making the interpretive steps traceable. The resulting principles and configurations provide testable propositions for comparative research and future pilot studies.