The average price of rice in Japan fell below 4,000 yen ($27) per 5 kilograms for the first time in around three and a half months to 3,920 yen, the government said Monday, with increased distribution of stockpiles likely helping to drive down prices.
During the seven days through June 15, the average price of rice sold at supermarkets across the nation fell by 256 yen per 5 kg from the previous week, dropping to the 3,000 yen range for the first time since the week ended March 2, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (L) poses with a rice bag on June 23, 2025, at an area at JR Tokyo Station selling brand rice harvested in 2024 that was transported from the rice-producing northeastern Japan prefecture of Akita via shinkansen bullet train. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters that the drop was due in part to the release of additional rice reserves, stating that “a clear message from the government is proving effective.”
The market share of blended rice, including reserve rice, rose 6 percentage points to 50 percent.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to bring the average retail price of 5 kg of rice down to the 3,000 yen range by the end of June.
Last year, a household consumed 60.20 kg of rice, according to government consumer spending data. Even after the latest fall, the average price of rice remains nearly double that of a year earlier.
Japan’s core consumer prices in May rose 3.7 percent from a year earlier, marking the biggest increase in more than two years, with rice prices setting a fresh record for the eighth consecutive month with a 101.7 percent jump due to a supply shortage.
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