Runan YangAssistant Professor
■Researcher basic information
Organization
Educational Background
- Apr. 2022 - Mar. 2025, The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Laboratory of Farm Business Management and Rural Development
- Apr. 2020 - Mar. 2022, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, International Development Studies
- Sep. 2015 - Jun. 2019, Northeast Agricultural University, 電気情報学部, IoT
Career
Member History
External link
■Research activity information
Award
Paper
- Does branding lead to better performance in urban farming? Structural model analysis from Tokyo
Runan Yang; Hironori Yagi, Lead, Elsevier BV
Cities, May 2026, [Reviewed] - The role of brand commitment and external information in urban consumers’ organic produce choices: Evidence from Japan and China
Runan Yang; Hironori Yagi; Katsuhito Fuyuki, Lead, Although organic agriculture brands are growing globally, urban consumer uptake in East Asia remains modest. We examine how brand commitment and external certification information shape willingness to pay (WTP) for organic vegetables based on multiple-store memory model. Online surveys of adult urban consumers in Japan (n = 412) and China (n = 422) are followed by a choice experiment in which respondents are randomly assigned to external certification information. Using latent profile analysis, we segment consumers’ brand commitment into five groups and estimate conditional logit models of choice and WTP. Results show that higher brand commitment and external certification information increase WTP for organic cabbage and tomatoes. Among Chinese consumers, information does not significantly affect WTP for carrots, indicating product-specific value perceptions. In Japan, information about semi-organic certification raises WTP for tomatoes, especially among high-brand commitment segments. The study contributes theoretically by linking brand commitment with information sensitivity to explain consumer heterogeneity, and by highlighting the importance of tailored marketing strategies. Our findings emphasize the need for targeted communication to enhance organic produce consumption in urban Asian markets., Public Library of Science (PLoS)
PLOS One, 21 Nov. 2025, [Reviewed] - Evaluating occupational values in Japan's urban farming: A comparison between the Likert scale and Best-Worst Scaling methods
Runan Yang; Hironori Yagi, Lead, Elsevier BV
Cities, Dec. 2024, [Reviewed] - How Does Information Influence Consumers’ Purchase Decisions for Environmentally Friendly Farming Produce? Evidence from China and Japan Based on Choice Experiment
Runan Yang; Katsuhito Fuyuki; Keeni Minakshi, Lead, In this research, 600 Chinese and Japanese consumers were divided into four groups to analyze consumers’ marginal willingness to pay for environmentally friendly farming (EFF) produce. We found that Chinese consumers had high awareness of green foods, while Japanese consumers were more familiar with organic produce than specially cultivated produce, perhaps because the latter has not yet received uniform national certification in Japan. Choice experiments show that EFF produce prices and consumers’ income critically affect consumers’ decision to pay, especially in China. After each group read different formal definitions of EFF produce, Chinese consumers still preferred green food certification, whereas Japanese consumers chose specially cultivated carrots. Both displayed different ideological purchasing behaviors through added interaction terms with an increase in education. When no information was given, Japanese consumers’ purchasing decisions became more positive as their education levels rose. Possibly, highly educated Chinese consumers emphasize pragmatism, whereas Japanese consumers emphasize the connection between environmental protection and agriculture. Therefore, EFF messaging should be differentiated by region. For distributors committed to international trade in EFF products between developing and developed markets, we suggest lower costs, differentiated product messaging, and community initiatives events to enhance trade and marketing in both China and Japan., MDPI AG
Sustainability, 02 Aug. 2022, [Reviewed] - Japanese Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Environmentally Friendly Farming Produce Based on Consumer Trustfulness
Runan Yang; Nina Takashino; Katsuhito Fuyuki, Lead, Abstract
In the past decade, the market share of environmentally friendly farming (EFF) produce in Japan has witnessed relatively rapid growth. However, consumer awareness and purchasing experience of this agricultural produce are still lagging. To study how awareness of EFF produce influences consumer psychology and purchase decisions, we use ordered logistic regression and choice experiments to analyze 600 survey responses collected through online questionnaires. The results show that information from friends and family can have a positive influence on Japanese consumers’ trust in EFF produce. Consumers also show a significant preference for EFF produce in the short term after receiving information about it. By setting up a control group for comparison, we find that, in addition to information, consumer education and income also positively and significantly affect the decision to purchase EFF produce. This study presents a unique perspective between information and consumer decision-making and provides targeted solutions for the promotional and marketing strategy problems faced by EFF produce sellers in Japan. We argue that strengthening regional publicity methods such as community events can enhance EFF producers’ marketing strategies., Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, 28 Apr. 2021, [Reviewed]
Lectures, oral presentations, etc.
- Branding, Value Creation, and Sustainability in Urban Agri-food Businesses: A Mixed Methods Comparison of Tokyo and Shanghai
楊汝楠; 聶健贇; 保坂三仁; 八木洋憲
The Farm Management Society of Japan The '26 Study Conference, 13 Sep. 2026
20260912, 20260913 - 学校給食における地場農産物の調達に関する課題と対策 ―千葉県船橋市と茨城県A市の事例―
今村はる; 伊丹一浩; 池田真也; 西川邦夫; 楊汝楠
日本農業経済学会 2026年度大会, 29 Mar. 2026
20260328, 20260329 - 都市農業における持続可能性 -東京都と上海市に比較して-
楊 汝楠
上海社会科学院 生態と持続可能な開発研究所, 14 Nov. 2025, [Invited] - Reflection on the development of rice industry and agricultural policies under the soaring rice price in Japan. (in Chinese)
Li Dongpo; Yang Runan; Zhou Hui
Annual Meeting of China Foreign Agricultural Economic Research Association, 25 Aug. 2025, Hunan Agricultural University
20250823, 20250825 - Measuring Psychological Capital and Its Impact on Performance in Urban Agriculture: Focus on Environmentally Friendly Farming
Yang Runan, Yagi Hironori
The Association for Regional Agricultural and Forestry Economics, The 9th International Workshop, 28 Jun. 2025
20250628 - Sustainability and Branding of Urban Agriculture in Tokyo Area (in Chinese)
Yang Runan
The 4th International Conference on Agricultural and Rural Economic Development in Northeast Asia, Harbin, China, 24 Aug. 2024, [Invited] - Evaluating Occupational Values in Urban Farming: Application of Best-Worst Scaling
Yang Runan; Yagi Hironori
令和6年日本農業経済学会宮城大会, 31 Mar. 2024 - Japanese Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Environmentally Friendly Farming Produce Based on Consumer Trustfulness
Yang Runan; Fuyuki Katsuhito; Takashino Nina
令和2年東北農業経済学会福島大会, Nov. 2020
Courses
Affiliated academic society
Research Themes
