In reaction to skyrocketing prices, the Japanese government announced Friday that it will unleash its emergency supply of rice, the country’s beloved staple meal.
Due to distribution disruption, this will be the first time the government has used its rice reserves in response to catastrophes like significant earthquakes.
After skyrocketing last summer due to a shortfall brought on by extremely hot weather in 2023, the price of rice has continued to rise.
Japan has continued to confront soaring temperatures, registering the hottest year on record in 2024, as extreme heatwaves fuelled by climate change engulfed many parts of the globe.
Agriculture Minister Taku Eto told reporters the government will release 210,000 tonnes of rice from its one million tonnes of stockpile.
“We want to improve the situation of stagnant distribution at all costs,” he said.
When freshly produced rice began to appear on store shelves in the fall, the government had hoped that the price would level out, but the spike persisted.
According to a government poll conducted in February, the average retail price of a five-kilogram (11-pound) bag was 3,688 yen ($24), which was higher than the 2,023 yen price the previous year.
Last month, the agriculture ministry made the historic decision to enact a new regulation permitting the sale of the government’s rice reserves.
Previously, stockpiled rice could be released only in the event of a serious crop failure or disaster, but a change in regulations allows a release when rice distribution is deemed stagnant.
Within a year, the ministry must repurchase the same quantity of rice from distributors.
After a significant rice harvest failure two years prior, which left consumers rushing to purchase the staple, the government passed a law in 1995 requiring the stockpiling of rice.
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