July 2025 Bento News

A year into Japan’s rice crisis, the true issue behind soaring prices has come into focus. Despite public struggle, mothers reducing portions, elderly residents unable to afford full-size bags, and diners forced to ration, then, Agriculture Minister Taku Eto famously declared in May, “I have never bought rice myself. I have enough to sell.” His detachment mirrors the ministry’s indifference toward consumer distress, allowing prices to spiral unchecked.

Experts argue that if the government had released stockpiled rice last summer, panic buying, and price spikes, could have been avoided. Instead, supply remained tight until March, when prices had nearly doubled, and only then did officials react under pressure from Prime Minister Ishiba. Even so, most of the reserve rice was channelled through JA Zen-Noh, delaying distribution; by April, only 10% had reached retailers.

New Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi deserves credit for changing course, negotiating direct retailer sales aimed at 2,000 yen per 5 kg, half the current price. But analysts caution that without increasing overall supply, either via imports or halting the long-running acreage reduction policy, such tactics are limited in impact.

Ironically, decades-long efforts to prop up rice prices by limiting production have now backfired, harming both consumers and food security. If Japan truly wants affordable rice, it must abandon the reduction policy, ramp up production, and consider temporarily unpacking rice tariffs to stabilise the market.