59.8% expect rice prices to fall with Koizumi in charge: Kyodo poll

Optimism always high in the beginning, there are still 7 months left in 2025 to prove to public whether that goal can be achieved or not.

Another easy way to achieve that, just lower the tariffs barrier.

https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1j9nr5j/the_us_says_japan_has_a_700_tariff_on_american/

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trade-war/Trump-tariffs/Japan-mulls-expanding-imports-of-tariff-free-US-rice

This could really come back to haunt Ishiba in the Upper House election. If the price doesn't come down quick enough, people will not remember that it was Koizumi who said Y2000 for 5kg, and the will vote against the LDP. Maybe that was Koizumi's plan, get rid of Ishiba and then he can be named PM!

Ishiba couldn’t have chosen a worse agriculture minister. The nepo baby’s ultimate goal has always been to dismantle JA and sell off Japan’s agriculture to big agri-businesses like Cargill and Bayern. Good luck Mr Koizumi. We all want to see rice prices go down.

What people expect and what happens in reality are not necessarily the same.

That's a big chunk of the population up for some disappointment.

Little better than a coin toss. What they should be asking are questions like “Do you think city dwellers are being shafted by LDP policies slanted in favor of their rural power base constituents”? And “Do you think wholesale rice prices would come down if JA (amakudari heaven) sponsored hoarding was outlawed and those doing it were subject to hefty fines/prison sentences”?

MeiyouwentiToday  07:57 am JST

Ishiba couldn’t have chosen a worse agriculture minister. The nepo baby’s ultimate goal has always been to dismantle JA...

Aren't JA really part of the problem though?

and sell off Japan’s agriculture to big agri-businesses like Cargill and Bayern.

They've got to get some businesses involved sooner or later. They can't continue with a dwindling number of ageing farmers scraping a living off tiny plots of land.

If the prices do suddenly go down then it becomes obvious that the price surge was manufactured all along by farmers or JA or both. They should be investigated.

Koizumi said Friday the government plans to sell its stockpiled rice to retailers through direct contracts, bypassing auctions that have prevented government control over prices, and aims to make it available in stores at 2,000 yen per 5 kg.

One of the talk shows yesterday morning gave details on how the plan to do this, so don't be surprised if it does happen. Koizumi plans to 1) sell the stockpiled rice at a loss - for less that what they paid for it, 2) have the gov't cover the all the shipping costs from the warehouses to polishing mills / bagging centers and from these places to the stores, 3) have the gov't cover the cost of the polishing and bagging.

I'm sure they will sell it to the retailers low enough for them to make a profit at 2,000 yen a bag. After all, all the retailers have to do is mark it up from what they pay to what they sell it for. The LDP will cover all of their other expenses.

Koizumi and the LDP apparently don't care about the cost to the gov't (= tax payers) and the effect it will likely have: more taxes, more debt, and spending cuts. After all, it is not their money. They have an election to win and no amount of taxpayer money is too small for them to spend in order to win it.

I am curious if they will let it be known how much the gov't sells the rice for. As far as I know, the auction prices have never been released.

Those suggesting lowering tariff should know this. If they do it would be on Australian rice not USA rice and why. 5 continuous years of bumper crop have seen rice price 1/2 in local supermarkets 5 kg of calrose irice s $9 USD.. So wholesale price would be much lower. With Australia cheaper logistic and 70c USD to a AUD $1 and the USA stupid tariff extortion. It is a no brainer to import Australian calrose rice. LOL Another potential market lost the Fascist USA regime.

But Japan doesn't want too much cheap foreign rice; it'll make the Japanese agriculture system look bad. So price isn't really important, as long as it's a little lower than the current Japanese prices. Japan might be looking to take some more rice temporarily though from the US and use it as a bargaining chip to reduce Trump tariffs.

Those suggesting lowering tariff should know this. If they do it would be on Australian rice not USA rice and why. 5 continuous years of bumper crop have seen rice price 1/2 in local supermarkets 5 kg of calrose irice s $9 USD.. So wholesale price would be much lower. With Australia cheaper logistic and 70c USD to a AUD $1 and the USA stupid tariff extortion. It is a no brainer to import Australian calrose rice. LOL Another potential market lost the Fascist USA regime.

Ph'el

Today 09:39 am JST

@fallaffel

> But Japan doesn't want too much cheap foreign rice; it'll make the Japanese agriculture system look bad.

> A Japanese family on a low income would vehemently disagree with you.

> Koizumi is propagating an injustice that has gone on for too long.

> Protectionism in exchange for votes is an outrage because the poor suffer just so the LDP can get support from elderly family rice farmers

In exchange for votes?

Do they outnumber the consumers who are affected?

They vote too don't they?

Perhaps the word ‘expect’ could be replaced by ‘hope’?

It's a sad state of affairs, perhaps Stockholm Syndrome. Please drop the 100+% tax increase to just 50ish% kind master.

Protectionism in exchange for votes is an outrage because the poor suffer just so the LDP can get support from elderly family rice farmers who don’t want their precious hobby to be challenged by the free market.

Yep, that is what ensures inaka votes and has been keeping LDP in power almost continuously since WW2.

Rice prices can easily be pushed down by the Govt. both releasing rice stocks and pressuring retailers to not horde, that drives up the price.

However, long-term market structural issue remains, Japan's rice production collapsing relative to consumption, because rice farmers are so old and not being replaced by the next generation

Of course the price will fall only theoretically, on the price tag. Neither the farmers nor the inbetween agents, packaging, storing and silo operators, logistic or supermarket companies will make any significant or generous presents here, but instead cashing in the lost differences otherwise.

I think they will fall, actually -- 100 yen per 10 kg.

The government spends over 300 billion yen (about $2.06 billion) in subsidies annually to decrease the amount of rice produced, thus going out of its way to raise the price and increasing the burden on consumers.

Ph'el

Today 10:57 am JST

@ian

> Then there is nothing getting in the way of them repealing the tariffs. Think about it, the argument that they are preserving Japan’s food security is a crock. Japan is already importing 65% of its food, and the argument that it could be suddenly cut off is laughable. Strip away the nonsense and the real and only reason for the tariffs is inescapable.

Hahaha life is so easy when you're only able to consider one factor at a time

The government needs to end the¥300 billion subsidies and tell the farmers to grow the maximum amount of rice.

Anyway protectionist policies already in place and implemented a long time, if these prices nowadays are out of the ordinary then there must be other reasons

Once again they’re leaving it up to 外圧 to do the job they were too cowardly and beholden to vested interests to do themselves. Even now, in the midst of a rice shortage crisis that, left unchecked, may yet provoke serious spontaneous outbursts of civil disobedience, we’re told that domestic rice is sacrosanct and 外米 a line in the sand which her trade negotiators must not, under any circumstances, cross.

These trade scofflaws need to be starved of the oxygen which sustains their delusions. Supporting massive tariff walls on rice and ensuring that conditions are not conducive to the success of foreign vehicle sales, all the while bleating about Trumps threat to levy tariffs on your vehicle and machine exports, must be met with the threat of quid pro quo measures of our own.

Ph'el

Today 01:45 pm JST

@ian

> Hahaha life is so easy when you're only able to consider one factor at a time

> Oh come on. The connection between rice tariffs and rural voter support is so well-established it's hard to take any denial of it seriously.

Yup one factor at a time

There is more than hint of nepotism over the rapid rise of Shinjiro Koizumi to Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries due the influence and popularity of his Father former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Koizumi said Friday the government plans to sell its stockpiled rice to retailers through direct contracts, bypassing auctions that have prevented government control over prices, and aims to make it available in stores at 2,000 yen per 5 kg.

A blatant “price fix” recklessly utilizing government politically motivated past “pricing fixing” to ring fence kowtowing to a powerful J farming Lobby.   

Cynical blinkered use of tax payers’ money, that could have serious consequences for empty supermarket shelves.

Temporarily allow tariff free foreign rice imports. More competition 

Also forcefully actively encourage a next generation to study farming as a career choice.

If you were a government what would do with these two choices

1: pay the retired farmer a pension and get nothing in return

2 pay the farmer and get rice.

Those going on about protectionism this is the reason. You might not like it but the 2nd options save government fund. The left of politics would do the same as the present government.

Maybe that was Koizumi's plan, get rid of Ishiba and then he can be named PM!

Or maybe it was Ishiba's plan to take care of a rival by putting him in a position with no chance of success.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't rice shortages and high rice prices in Japan be prevented by importing cheap but high quality rice from places like the US, India, and Thailand? The rice problem seems to me to be entirely caused by government policies. Currently a small fraction of rice exported from the US goes to Japan, but that is due to Japanese government actions, not American policy.

For decades, though Japanese had been deceived many time by LDP, still expect them.