Japan's Rice Policy Under Strain As Retailers, Farmers Struggle

Retailers and farmers in Japan are voicing concern over continuing rice shortages, even as government stockpiles are released to the public.

Japanese farmers are frustrated that the public seems focused solely on low prices. I Photo: Samulili Wikimedia Commons

Critics say policies aimed at maintaining affordability may be backfiring, Masanori Hirakawa reported for Mainichi Japan. As rice prices climb, government stockpiled rice has been made available for sale through negotiated contracts, particularly in the Kanto region, including Tokyo.

Following Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s assurance that rice would retail for "around 2,000 yen (about $14) per 5 kilograms," long lines formed at stores across the country.

Yet while consumer expectations for cheaper rice remain high, the overall impact on market prices remains unclear. Farmers, meanwhile, are frustrated that the public seems focused solely on low prices.

“We can’t get enough brown rice. I never imagined it would come to this,” said Yukihiro Nishijima, 37, a second-generation owner of the Meinohama Kotabe Beikokuten rice store in Fukuoka’s Nishi Ward.

The store has posted a notice stating it is no longer accepting new customers due to supply shortages.

Disruptions began following the 2023 harvest, when wholesalers slowed shipments and asked retailers, “How much can you offer?”—driving up purchase costs and making profits harder to secure.

“Even if they promote it as costing only 2,000 yen, it’s old rice,” Nishijima said.

“Prices for new rice won’t drop.” He plans to source the next harvest directly from farmers. Experts are urging voters to consider food policy as a key issue in the upcoming House of Councilors election this summer.