Tokyo rice prices up over 90% in April, marking record on-year rise

Yep those peesky tourists have added a couple of yen per kilogram to the price of rice.

Rice prices remain on an upward trend as soaring production costs driven by inflation and booming inbound tourism have pushed up consumption.

A February 2025 Asahi Shimbun editorial attributes the continuing high prices to “a distribution bottleneck” and “speculative purchasing by small businesses and some farmers’ reluctance to sell” — not inflation and inbound tourism.

— Quote —

The rice shortages were first felt last summer, leading to a spike in prices. Although the shortage was resolved with the arrival of the new harvest in the fall, prices have continued to remain elevated.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries attributes the persistent high prices primarily to a distribution bottleneck. Additionally, the ministry notes that speculative purchasing by small businesses and some farmers’ reluctance to sell--driven by expectations of further price increases--have also contributed to keeping rice prices high.

— Unquote —

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15626936

A February 2025 Asahi Shimbun editorial attributes the continuing high prices to

A March Asahi Shimbun article concurs. Excerpt below.

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A perfect storm conspires to keep rice prices at historic levels 

At what price rice?

Apparently, the sky’s the limit.

Hoarding and speculative trading, coupled with government tardiness, seem to be the primary factors behind the crisis.

The government blames the situation on speculative reluctance to sell.

Rice prices have been high since last summer, after an advisory warning of a potential Nankai Trough megaquake triggered panic buying among the public.

Initially, the farm ministry assumed that rice prices would fall once the new rice crop was released in the fall.

But that did not happen, which is when the finger-pointing began in earnest.

The ministry then changed its explanation, contending that soaring rice prices were caused by a “reluctance to sell” due to unexpected market speculation.

The ministry expects the 2024 rice harvest to total 6.79 million tons, 180,000 tons more than the previous year.

However, the volume of new rice secured by major rice dealers was less than the previous year.

At the end of 2024, it was 210,000 tons less, and at the end of January this year, it was 230,000 tons less.

The ministry attributes this difference to speculative buying of new rice by small and midsize traders and a reluctance on the part of farmers to sell.

MARKET SPECULATION

Shoichi Fujihira, 74, president of Nittano Farm, an agricultural corporation in Isumi, Chiba Prefecture, noticed something unusual last fall.

He said construction companies and people identifying themselves “rice traders” drove up in trucks and bought up all the new rice.

One individual seemed to be there with the intention of reselling the rice at a much higher price.

Fujihira checked a website that apparently was operated by this person. The website was offering to sell the rice for about 700 yen ($4.65) more than the farm price.

Since the scale on which “reselling” transactions such as these is not known, it is uncertain whether they can be considered as the “main culprit” in the rise in rice prices.

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https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15650579

Learn how to cook potatoes.

Companies found hoarding rice for profit should be prosecuted. Farmers hoarding rice should lose their government subsidies. Government stored rice should not be sold by auction instead at a fixed low price to major buyers. Abolish the government policy of paying farmers not to grow rice. During periods of high prices, import more tariff-free Japonica rice from the US or Australia.

People eat potatoes already. Sweet potatoes and standard potatoes Danshaku Imo.

In Matsumoto none of the grocery stores around us have had any rice for a week. It’s almost surreal how screwed up this all is.

I ate my last grain of rice today

A commodity trader thrives on governments tardy incompetence to manage balance market essentials.

A speculative trade, will accumulate product with the clear intention to drive up price, vulgarly, price gouging.

It is difficult to police, to enforce measures that halt profiteering, without expatriating shortages, especially consumer essentials.

Well, a route to contain the practice, is to allow short term relaxation of rice foreign import restrictions.

Rice prices remain on an upward trend as soaring production costs driven by inflation and booming inbound tourism have pushed up consumption.

PURE LIE by KYODO.

just one question-what jpn gov doing about this?

reply is...NOTHING

Tourists to Japan consume less than 1% of the rice.

NHK reports that this year, foreign visitors to Japan are expected to consume 70,000 tons of rice, a 34% increase from last year.

I am one of the only family members that does not consume rice every day.

I grow my own supply of veg, importantly a number of potato varieties, May Queen, Kita Akari. Danshaku

Also sweet potatoes, (Satsumaimo), Anno imo is a go to.

I've just been eating more pasta and bread.

STOP eating rice. Have a National No Rice WEEK.

Watch how fast the price drop.

Don’t buy any for a MONTH…however long you can tolerate

Did I mention I don’t even like to eat rice unless it’s been cooked as Cha’Han, (or / otherwise) , you can keep it. I’d rather eat a Dinner Roll

The last few times I bought bags of rice, it was Basmati. Much better. A shame it's taxed over 700%

There's no shortage. The shelves are full and they are all over 4500yen!!!

I eat rice once a week with a curry, I have never been able to break that habit from life in UK.

Ramen, Pasta is a once a week favorite.

Providing a stable rice supply is the job #1 of any Japanese government stretching back to the Nara Period. Can the LDP maintain control of the House of Counselors in the July election? If so the LDP lock on power is final.

Pukey2

The last few times I bought bags of rice, it was Basmati. Much better. A shame it's taxed over 700%

What was the price you paid? Basmati rice is the same price as Japanese rice.

justaskingToday  11:57 am JST

There's no shortage. The shelves are full and they are all over 4500yen!!

Where are you able to get rice? In central Nagano we are out.

Are we getting shafted to keep Tokyo in stock?

Lower rice import tariffs and watch rice prices drop like a stone. But I can't see that happening given Ishiba's public 'don't want to upset China' statement, and Kono's 'we must educate Trump' statement.

USA's reset is sorting out true friends from foe. Japan under Ishiba is giving away sovereignty to China even if it meant exhorbitant rice prices to struggling Japanese consumers. How long can a friendship like that last?

If rice prices have almost doubled in such a short period, then it sounds to me like a failure of government regulation and planning.

I do not know for a fact, but have read that rice imports into Japan are heavily taxed to protect domestic rice growers. However, with the price of rice skyrocketing, then it may be time to lower tariffs on rice. We grow lots of high quality, cheap rice here in California, and would be glad to sell it. I have read that Japanese tourists typically bring back to Japan a big bag of California rice when they visit here.