The value of ricepublished at 05:37 British Summer Time
05:37 BST
Japan is highly protective of its domestic rice production, imposing a steep tariff on imports of its staple grain beyond a tax-free quota of roughly 770,000 tonnes; an agreement reached with the World Trade Organization in 1995.
Of the total 767,000 tonnes Japan imported in the last fiscal year to March 2025, nearly half (45%) was from the US, according to Reuters.
Trump falsely claimed earlier this year that the country imposes a 700% tariff on US rice, but after the tax-free quota, the tariffs are thought to be around 227%.
Image source, Getty Images
Still, the White House has repeatedly made its frustrations over Japan’s rice barriers known, calling the country’s policies “egregious” and saying in a social media post that it was “spoiled” by its trade relationship with the US.
Meanwhile, Japan is facing a rice supply chain bottleneck. The government has been releasing emergency stockpiles of rice since March, and prices have risen to more than double the same period last year, according to an April article from the Japan Times.
Despite the slowed production, the country’s government has been reluctant to change its rice import policies.