News Why there's a rice shortage in Japan

[thomas]

Japan is currently experiencing a temporary rice shortage, primarily due to seasonal factors. While concerns about the Nankai Trough earthquake have contributed to a general scarcity, the situation is not alarming. August is typically the month with the lowest rice supply, as the main rice-producing regions begin harvesting new crops in September. Additionally, a surplus from the pandemic years has been depleted, and demand has returned to pre-COVID levels.

Photo credit: Jiji​

"So there was already a slight shortage around June, July and August, but combined with this, in the past week or two, the warning over the Nankai Trough earthquake led to increased sales of rice in addition to things like water and emergency goods, according to people in the distribution sector," Itakura said, adding that the earthquakes in Kanagawa and Ibaraki prefectures in the past week may have also driven people to stock up on rice. According to a representative from the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA Zenchu), other reasons for the rice shortage include increased consumption by inbound tourists and the impact of high temperatures on harvests. The fact that rice prices haven't been hit as heavily by inflation as other products may also have prompted more people to buy rice instead of other staples.

Why it's hard to find rice at Japan's supermarkets right now

In recent weeks, store shelves have often been barren, with many shops displaying signs asking purchasers to stick to one bag per person.

www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[derekiscool]

Dang id've thought japan would never run out of rice. I legit thought it would run out of fish before that happened.

 

[derekiscool]

@thomas can I ask how old you are?

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

To be honest, when I first saw the title to the thread, I thought it was referring to why Japan uses short grain rice. The rice shortage is a little interesting in that recently I've started to see more rice imports from Japan, mostly for kinuhikari type rice (which is just as good as koshihikari, imo).

 

[mdchachi]

@thomas can I ask how old you are?

He started the forum in 1999. If we assume he was a child prodigy and did it before he entered kindergarten, we can safely assume he's at least 30.

 

[thomas]

@thomas can I ask how old you are?

Sure you can. What @mdchachi said.


A word on forum etiquette: as this is not Discord, we try to keep threads on topic. If you want to ask something not directly related, please start a new thread or contact the member directly. I believe they call it DM on Discord (I have never used it).

To be honest, when I first saw the title to the thread, I thought it was referring to why Japan uses short grain rice. The rice shortage is a little interesting in that recently I've started to see more rice imports from Japan, mostly for kinuhikari type rice (which is just as good as koshihikari, imo).

Yes, I noticed it this morning. Changed the thread title. Thanks.

He started the forum in 1999. If we assume he was a child prodigy and did it before he entered kindergarten, we can safely assume he's at least 30.

I owe you a pint!

 

[Lothor]

The other day I saw people on Japanese TV eating foreign rice in Japan and exclaiming how delicious it was, for the first time ever. I'm sure that broadcasters get guidance from the government about what they can and can't report, so I think this wasn't coincidental. Perhaps those in charge have realised that in the interests of Japan's food security, the country should open up the rice market, which will hopefully mean lower import taxes on non-Japanese rice.

 

[thomas]

No need to worry: the new rice harvest will soon be released into the market. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries has urged consumers to remain calm and assured them that the shortage will be addressed shortly.

Says this Aomori farmer:

"High temperatures are causing rice to grow faster, but it's going well. There was no impact from typhoons. There's no need to panic." A person familiar with the agriculture ministry's thinking said, "We've heard from producing areas that rice is growing well. Given that new rice is set to be distributed from now on, we believe the rice shortage will be resolved to some extent.

Concerns over rice shortage growing in Japan amid higher demand

Concerns over a rice shortage are growing in Japan, with empty shelves becoming noticeable in supermarkets and stores, against the backdrop of rising demand.

english.kyodonews.net

Why has Japan been hit with rice shortages, soaring prices despite normal crops? - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- Shortages of rice have recently been seen across Japan, and the price of the staple food is soaring. But close to 100% of Japan's rice is dom

mainichi.jp

 

[derekiscool]

That's cool.

 

[Lothor]

No need to worry: the new rice harvest will soon be released into the market. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries has urged consumers to remain calm and assured them that the shortage will be addressed shortly.

Says this Aomori farmer:

Concerns over rice shortage growing in Japan amid higher demand

Concerns over a rice shortage are growing in Japan, with empty shelves becoming noticeable in supermarkets and stores, against the backdrop of rising demand.

english.kyodonews.net

Why has Japan been hit with rice shortages, soaring prices despite normal crops? - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- Shortages of rice have recently been seen across Japan, and the price of the staple food is soaring. But close to 100% of Japan's rice is dom

mainichi.jp

I think the situation is slightly less rosy. I saw on the TV that the harvest for this year is forecast to be similar to that last year, which wasn't great. However, as Thomas says, there will be plenty of rice in the shops very soon, and it's rather irresponsible of the media to add to the current shortage by scaring people into hoarding. We might experience similar problems this time next year, though.

 

[thomas]

The new rice harvest has been hitting the stores, but - surprise, surprise - expect to pay more.

It was the largest hike over the past 10 years. In top-ranked Niigata Prefecture, the price for Koshihikari rice increased 22 percent to 17,000 yen. The "Nanatsuboshi" variety in Hokkaido, Japan's second-largest producer, rose 32 percent to 16,500 yen. In western Japan, agricultural cooperatives in Kagawa and Kochi prefectures raised the up-front payments for Koshihkari rice by 42 percent and 43 percent, respectively. Government and industry officials said increased production costs are a key reason behind higher prices of this year's harvests. "Fuel expenses, electricity charges and other prices have surged, pushing up costs for rice production," said a representative of the Tochigi prefectural headquarters of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations.

Newly harvested rice arriving at stores but with a higher price | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

The new rice harvest has been hitting the stores, but - surprise, surprise - expect to pay more.

Newly harvested rice arriving at stores but with a higher price | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

Wow! Granted I never bought 30kg or 60kg at a time, but those prices for rice have really skyrocketed from I'm used to paying!

 

[Lothor]

Wow! Granted I never bought 30kg or 60kg at a time, but those prices for rice have really skyrocketed from I'm used to paying!

And they were high before, considering that Japan is ideally suited to growing rice.