How did Japan come to produce the best beef in the world?

This is a very leading question as it assumes that they do.

However I'll briefly go into the process of Kobe and Wagyu beef and then go back to my original point.

What is wagyu?

Wagyu (pronounced "Wah-gyou" edit incorrect original pronunciation) means Japanese style (wa) cattle (gyu). Wagyu beef is intensely marbled with softer fat, has higher percentages of monounsaturated fats, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and is lower in cholesterol than commodity beef. The combinations of these fats deliver a distinctive rich and tender flavor compared to other beef.

What is Kobe beef

Kobe beef is recognised as one of the best types of beef in the world, so much so that it is trademarked and like Champagne or Cornish pasties is a regional trademark meaning you can only produce it in a certain region. You can take a cow and bull from that region, breed them in an identical location with exactly the same feed and the calf when it grows will produce the exact same quality meat etc but cannot be called Kobe beef.

Kobe beef therefore comes from the Hyōgo prefecture (of which Kobe is the capital) of Japan. The cattle are fed special diet of dried pasture forage and grasses such as rice straw with nutrition-rich feed supplements made by blending soybean, corn, barley, wheat bran, and various other ingredients. They are not fed pasture grass.

All Japanese beef is Wagyu, but not all Wagyu is Kobe

Now, what you normally see as Wagyu is not actually from Japan, America (I'm assuming you're American here) actually banned imports of beef from Japan between 2009 and 2012. However Wagyu was still very common in the US, how? Because whilst Kobe beef is regional, Wagyu is a style and breed of cattle. Therefore the majority of places serving this style of beef are actually importing it from Australia or using domestic American Wagyu. (or importing it from either country if you're not in the US)

Actual Kobe beef is around $200 a steak and $50 a burger. It's unlikely you're seeing it commonly at any restaurant outside of Japan, they simply don't produce that much of it.

Now, back to my original point. The question is leading because Wagyu beef is considered one of the world's best beefs but Japan is considered one of, but not the only great beef producing nations.

http://www.burwellscharleston.com/blog/23-kobe-vs-wagyu-beef

There is even a world steak challenge

https://www.worldsteakchallenge.com/2018-winners/

In fact, this year Japan didn't even win a single medal. Finland, Germany, Poland, Ireland, The United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand all did very well however.

But let's just talk about the history now, rather than the culinary and current beefs of the world (other than Eminem and MGK) as this is ask historians, not ask chefs

History of Cattle in Japan

Cattle were estimated to have been introduced in Japan between 500BC and 300AD from the Asian continent as domestic animals. (McKay et al 2008), this has been narrowed down to the third century AD coinciding with the growth of rice cultivation by Mannen et al 2004 . Cattle were primarily used in forestry, transportation and rice farming whilst horses were fundamentally used by the military (Minezawa, 2003).

However they weren't primarily used as food or for milking due to bans by Buddhist leaders on the eating of flesh particularly from 4 legged creatures. As such breeding was primarily based on physical prowess. This changed in 1867 when the ban was lifted during the Meij restoration and cattle bedchamber being imported from Kobe to Yokohoma after the port was opened there and the beef was sold as Kobe beef which became very popular with foreigners who had become more frequent by this time

A decision was made to increase body size and milk production by introducing improved breeds of cattle. Initially Shorthorn and Devon were imported in 1868. About 2,600 head from British and Continental breeds were introduced in a ten year period and crossed with the native cattle in the prefectures Here(from Minezawa, 2003 and Namikawa, 1992):

High prices were paid for the crossbreds at the turn of the century, but by 1910 they were considered to be inferior for work so all crossing ceased. There had been some improvement in size and milk yield, but productivity and meat quality had deteriorated.

The core breeds which collectively became known as "Wagyu" had evolved. They are derived from native cattle that had been crossed with imported breeds to improve size.

After mechanisation reduced the demands for draught after the 1950s, the focus on beef production changed. Until then selection had been for body size and growth rate. The correlation of height at withers with body size was established and this produced an increase in body size. Performance and progeny testing was started in 1968. Young bulls with good growth had their progeny performance tested. Subsequently it has been established that the marbling index improved 0.05 points each year in three prefectures in response to these practices. There had been no improvement during the previous period when breeding decisions were made on visual assessment alone (Sasaki et al., 2006).

From domesticity to one of the best known types of beef in the world

For a long time cattle in Japan were not farmed for milk nor meat, this meant that cattle had been treated better than those elsewhere. As there were only a few heads of cattle in each farm they were treated much like we treat horses, rather than the vast ranches of for example the USA. This meant their were individual sheds which were well ventilated and properly maintained. Fresh water is always available and exercise was not encouraged. Cattle were carefully brushed to maintain good blood flow to maintain a healthy coat.

The belief is that the fat is evenly distributed through brushing. Some producers brush with Sake (beer) to improve the appearance and softness of the coat. Massaging is another indication of the closeness the farmer has to their precious cattle and is carried out to relieve stress and muscle stiffness.

This is not scientifically proven though, however it is believed that the lack of stress and constant handling helps in the quality of beef.

http://www.wagyuinternational.com/global_Japan.php

The actual recognition of Japanese beef comes much much more recently. Japan only lifted a ban on imported beef in 1991, it was this liberalisation that caused farmers to focus on high quality beef rather than high quantity beef. As such Japan actually imports 60% of its domestic beef consumption. The Japanese government have been increasingly protective of their domestic exports and that includes beef. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is responsible for the agricultural export drive

Despite this, Japan are experiencing a decline in the beef, with far fewer households raising far more cattle per household and an increasingly elderly population of farmers too with young people in Japan unwilling to live the lifestyle raising wagyu cattle requires which is full time living in the countryside. Other producers such as Australia, The USA, New Zealand and the UK are also growing their own domestic markets and all the countries mentioned have wagyu cattle in farms across the countries.