US EditionWith Latest Move, Farm Ministry Sets Sights on ¥1,800 for a 5-Kg Bag of Rice
- Japan's Ministry of Agriculture sold about 300,000 tons of stockpiled rice directly to around 70 large retailers in May 2025 to curb soaring prices.
- This measure followed failed rice auctions earlier in 2025 and a price surge that caused retail rice prices to nearly double compared to the previous year.
- The ministry plans to sell reserve rice at a set wholesale price near 10,000 yen per 60 kilograms—equivalent to around 1,800 yen per 5 kilograms—with the goal of lowering consumer prices to approximately 2,000 yen per 5 kilograms.
- Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pledged to stop further increases in rice prices and thanked retailers for their prompt cooperation with the newly implemented direct sales system.
- The government expects the approach to stabilize prices and help consumers, though experts caution sustained price drops depend on sufficient market supply.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Japan gov't promises lower-priced stockpiled rice supply for rural areas
The government on Wednesday vowed to deliver lower-priced stockpiled rice it releases as a counter to surging prices more broadly and stably to consumers in rural areas, after it suspended taking orders from major retailers to make room for smaller ones. About 70 major retailers made requests to buy reserve…
Don Quijote Submits Letter of Opinion to Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro Regarding Rice Distribution: "5th-Tier Wholesalers Are the Cause of Price Hikes"
Pan Pacific International Holdings (PPIH), which operates the discount store Don Quijote, submitted a letter of opinion on the 28th to Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro regarding problems with rice distribution. The letter pointed out that the high barriers to entry for direct transactions with the JA Group, which is a consolidator, and the complex distribution route involving numerous wholesalers are contributing to soaring rice prices and …
Japan gov't vows reserve rice supply to countryside amid price spike
The government on Wednesday vowed to deliver lower-priced stockpiled rice it releases as a counter to surging prices more broadly and stably to consumers in rural areas, after it suspended taking orders from major retailers to make room for smaller ones. About 70 major retailors made requests to buy reserve rice from the farm ministry, bringing the total to over 200,000 tons, or about two-thirds of the 300,000 tons up for sale, a day after the l…
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