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Emergency Reserves, High Prices, Rationing. How Did Japan’s Rice Crisis Get This Far?
- Since last summer, Japan has faced rice shortages and soaring prices, with the top Koshihikari brand selling for nearly 5,000 yen per 5 kilograms, while rice disappeared from supermarket shelves nationwide.
- The crisis resulted from a relatively poor 2023 harvest caused by hot weather and pests, panic buying after a possible megaquake warning, and government policies paying farmers to reduce rice acreage.
- The government released emergency rice reserves to cope with shortfalls, but only 10% of the grain has reached stores slowly, fueling public frustration and leading Agriculture Minister Taku Eto to resign this week.
- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba acknowledged uncertainty over why rice prices have remained high and committed to lowering the average cost to around 3,000 yen per 5 kilograms ahead of the July election.
- The shortage highlights underlying problems in Japan’s rice policy that Ishiba’s minority government must resolve to ensure a stable supply and prevent a decline in rice demand.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Japan's rice crisis: Prices soar, supplies dwindle and a minister resigns
Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain which is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over the decades. But prices have soared since last summer as…
How did Japan's rice crisis get this far?
TOKYO — Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain. It is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over the decades. But since last summer, prices have soared as supplies have fallen short of demand. The government has long paid farmers to
Aichi Rice Production Under Siege from Warming Climate; Record Heat Stunts Crop Growth, Causes Greater Pest Activity
NAGOYA — Amid nationwide high rice prices, Aichi Prefecture is striving to increase rice production. The prefecture, though, faces a formidable threat from pests, whose damage is intensified by global warming, making it more difficult to combat them.
Japan ‘Is Running Out of Rice’: Why Are There Shortages and High Prices in Stores?
Rice is essential to Japan's culture, tradition, and politics. People are proud of the sticky, oval-shaped grain known as Japonica, which remains a staple food despite the fact that total consumption has declined over the decades.However, since last summer, prices have skyrocketed, as supply has not reached demand.The government has long paid farmers to reduce the area dedicated to rice and switch to other crops to keep rice prices relatively hi…
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