
In reversal, Japan now wants rice farmers to produce more. Will it work?
For more than half a century, the Japanese government has encouraged its rice farmers to grow less of the crop so that prices of the national staple grain remained relatively high and steady.
Now, under an ambitious agricultural policy announced this year, Tokyo is preparing for a reversal, envisaging a future of bountiful output that would secure the country's food security without sending prices into freefall and hurting its politically influential farmers.
The new direction has taken on an unexpected urgency as Japanese grapple with a shortage of the all-important staple, which has prompted a historic spike in prices, a flood of imports, and interest from President Donald Trump, who has renewed pressure on Japan to buy U.S. rice as part of the allies' elusive trade deal.
Kazuhachi Hosaka looks at his rice farm in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture.
Image: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
It is a policy that many farmers like Kazuhachi Hosaka welcome in principle, but with trepidation because questions over how it would work in practice remain unanswered. The government is aiming to complete a roadmap by the middle of next year.
"We'd want the government to make sure there's some kind of a safety net for producers," Hosaka said at his farm in the northern prefecture of Niigata.
"It's easy enough to switch rice for feed or processed foods to staple rice. But tilling land for new paddies or switching from wheat or soybeans would require labour, machinery and all kinds of investments."
This year, Hosaka allocated all but 10 hectares (25 acres) of his 180-hectare land for staple rice, reducing feed-use rice by 20 hectares given the attractive prices. But he worries that prices could plunge if Japan's overall production goes unchecked under the new policy, set to be implemented from the 2027 crop year.
"I do feel conflicted," Hosaka said about the doubling of retail rice prices to above 4,000 yen for a 5kg bag this year in what has turned into a national crisis.
"It's important that rice prices settle at levels acceptable to both producers and consumers," he said.
Hosaka hopes prices would stabilise around 3,000 to 3,500 yen - a level Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also hopes would be palatable for voters. Supermarket prices fell for a fifth straight week, to 3,801 yen in the seven days to June 22, but were still 70% higher than the same period last year.
Rice paddies in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture
Image: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
NATIONAL CRISIS
For Japanese people, rice is more than just a staple food.
Cultivated in the country for more than 2,000 years, rice is considered sacred in the indigenous Shinto religion and is deeply ingrained in local tradition and culture. The Japanese are famously proud of their short-grain Japonica variety, protecting the market with trade barriers.
So when rice turned into a luxury item this year, consumers fumed and policymakers - facing imminent elections - worried.
With an eye on voters ahead of an upper house election on July 20, the government has been releasing emergency rice from its stockpile to sell for about 2,000 yen per 5 kg.
Farmers - also traditionally an important voting bloc for Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party - were told it was a dire but necessary move to protect Japan's food security and prevent consumers from switching permanently away from homegrown rice.
But for most of the past 50 years, Japan has poured its energy into doing the opposite: providing subsidies to farmers to grow crops other than staple rice so as to prevent oversupply and a fall in prices.
That system backfired last year when the farm ministry misread supply from the heat-damaged 2023 harvest, resulting in a severe shortage in August. The ensuing surge in prices made Japan an anomaly against a fall in global prices, and exposed the risks of its approach.
The new policy, if successful, would prevent a recurrence by allocating 350,000 tons of rice for export in 2030 - an eight-fold jump from 45,000 tons last year - that could be redirected to the domestic market in the event of a shortage, the government says.
Some agricultural experts say the policy is unrealistic.
The idea of selling expensive Japanese rice abroad is counterintuitive, especially when even Japan is importing record amounts of the grain despite the 341 yen per kg levy that had previously priced foreign products out of the market.
Japanese have also acquired a taste for U.S. Calrose rice, while imports from Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam have also been popular with businesses and cost-conscious consumers.
"Expensive rice might sell to niche markets, but getting that up to 350,000 tons would require price competitiveness, and there's a long way for that," said Kazunuki Ohizumi, professor emeritus at Miyagi University and an expert on agricultural management.
The government aims to provide some form of support but also expects farmers to make their own efforts to consolidate, and make use of artificial intelligence and other technologies to lower production costs.
Meanwhile, Hosaka said, prices of fertilizers, pesticides and fuel have shot up, sending production costs through the roof.
"It's tough," he said. "The government has released quite a bit of stockpiled rice, so I'm very worried about prices falling even further."
© Thomson Reuters 2025.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Japan Today
16 minutes ago
- Japan Today
Ten dead and dozens injured in Kenya anti-government protests
A demonstrator lies on the road, watching clashes with police as a fire burns, at the "Saba Saba People's March" anti-government protest in Nairobi, Kenya July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY By Humphrey Malalo Kenyan police fired to disperse demonstrators in Nairobi marking the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies on Monday, as Kenya's rights watchdog reported 10 dead and 29 injured nationwide in the latest anti-government protests to end in bloodshed. The death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month has given the protests fresh impetus, fuelling anger against the authorities and bringing hundreds onto the streets. A Reuters reporter saw police fire at advancing protesters in the Nairobi suburb of Kangemi, with one man later lying motionless on the road with a bleeding wound. The suburb's Eagle Nursing Home said six people had been admitted with injuries, and that two had died from gunshot wounds. A source at Kenyatta National Hospital said it was treating 24 injured people, but did not elaborate on their injuries. The government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said it had documented 10 dead and 29 injured. It did not provide a breakdown of the figures, recorded across 17 of Kenya's 47 counties. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Law enforcers have been deploying heavily in Nairobi since youth-led protests in June 2024 that initially focused on tax hikes but expanded to cover issues such as corruption, police brutality and unexplained disappearances of government critics. Police used tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators advancing along a road connecting Kangemi to downtown Nairobi. Hours later, protesters and police scuffled, and a Reuters reporter saw police opening fire as the crowd charged at them. The Commission on Human Rights said it saw "numerous hooded officers, not in uniform, travelling in unmarked vehicles". A court order requires police to be easily identifiable following allegations that plain clothes police fired live rounds at demonstrators last year. The Commission also said criminal gangs wielding whips and machetes appeared to be operating alongside police in Nairobi and the Rift Valley town of Eldoret. Local media said there had also been demonstrations in the towns of Nyeri, Embu and the lakeside city of Nakuru, where half a dozen police on horseback dispersed stone-throwing protesters. Police had blocked major roads leading into Nairobi and restricted traffic within the city, leaving streets deserted but for the demonstrators, who arrived on foot. Most schools and at least one shopping mall were shut in anticipation of trouble. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who last month described the protests as "terrorism disguised as dissent", said on Sunday that the government was committed to protecting life and property. "Our security agencies are on high alert to deal decisively with criminals and other elements of ill intent who may seek to infiltrate peaceful processions to cause havoc, mayhem, or destruction of property," he said. Activists rally every July 7 to mark the day in 1990 when opponents of then-president Daniel Arap Moi launched a bid to turn Kenya into a multi-party democracy. The protest is called "Saba Saba" - "Seven Seven" in Kiswahili - because of the date. Those protests paved the way two years later for the first multi-party elections in more than two decades. The death of 31-year-old Ojwang, a blogger and teacher, has focused public anger, sparking a string of demonstrations last month. On June 25, according to the Commission, 19 people lost their lives nationwide in demonstrations to protest against Ojwang's death and mark the first anniversary of rallies that culminated in the storming of parliament. Six people including three police officers have been charged with murder over Ojwang's death. © Thomson Reuters 2025.


Japan Today
16 minutes ago
- Japan Today
Lula tells Trump world does not want 'emperor' after U.S. threatens BRICS tariff
Leaders of the BRICS group pose for the family photo during the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes By Manuela Andreoni and Lisandra Paraguassu Developing nations at the BRICS summit on Monday brushed away an accusation from President Donald Trump that they are "anti-American," with Brazil's president saying the world does not need an emperor after the U.S. leader threatened extra tariffs on the bloc. Trump's threat on Sunday night came as the U.S. government prepared to finalize dozens of trade deals with a range of countries before his July 9 deadline for the imposition of significant "retaliatory tariffs." The Trump administration does not intend to immediately impose an additional 10% tariff against BRICS nations, as threatened, but will proceed if individual countries take policies his administration deems "anti-American," according to a source familiar with the matter. At the end of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Lula was defiant when asked by journalists about Trump's tariff threat: "The world has changed. We don't want an emperor." "This is a set of countries that wants to find another way of organizing the world from the economic perspective," he said of the bloc. "I think that's why the BRICS are making people uncomfortable." In February, Trump warned the BRICS would face "100% tariffs" if they tried to undermine the role of the U.S. dollar in global trade. Brazil's BRICS presidency had already backed off efforts to advance a common currency for the group that some members proposed last year. But Lula repeated on Monday his view that global trade needs alternatives to the U.S. dollar. "The world needs to find a way that our trade relations don't have to pass through the dollar," Lula told journalists at the end of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro. "Obviously, we have to be responsible about doing that carefully. Our central banks have to discuss it with central banks from other countries," he added. "That's something that happens gradually until it's consolidated." Other BRICS members also pushed back against Trump's threats more subtly. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters that the group does not seek to compete with any other power and expressed confidence in reaching a trade deal with the U.S. "Tariffs should not be used as a tool for coercion and pressuring," Mao Ning, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in Beijing. The BRICS advocates for "win-win cooperation," she added, and "does not target any country." A Kremlin spokesperson said Russia's cooperation with the BRICS was based on a "common world view" and "will never be directed against third countries." India did not immediately provide an official response to Trump. Many BRICS members and many of the group's partner nations are highly dependent on trade with the United States. New member Indonesia's senior economic minister, Airlangga Hartarto, who is in Brazil for the BRICS summit, is scheduled to go to the U.S. on Monday to oversee tariff talks, an official told Reuters. Malaysia, which was attending as a partner country and was slapped with 24% tariffs that were later suspended, said that it maintains independent economic policies and is not focused on ideological alignment. MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and Trump's disruptive "America First" approach, the BRICS group has presented itself as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and trade wars. In a joint statement released on Sunday afternoon, leaders at the summit condemned the recent bombing of member nation Iran and warned that the rise in tariffs threatened global trade, continuing its veiled criticism of Trump's tariff policies. Hours later, Trump warned he would punish countries seeking to join the group. The original BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as members. Saudi Arabia has held off formally accepting an invitation to full membership, but is participating as a partner country. More than 30 nations have expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, either as full members or partners. © Thomson Reuters 2025.


Japan Today
16 minutes ago
- Japan Today
U.S. 'unbelievably satisfied' with Lebanon reply to proposal on disarming Hezbollah
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and U.S. special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack speaks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File photo By Maya Gebeily A U.S. envoy said on Monday he was "unbelievably satisfied" with Lebanon's reply to a U.S. proposal on disarming Hezbollah, following meetings in Beirut held hours after Israel launched new air strikes and a cross-border incursion. Envoy Thomas Barrack's proposal, delivered to Lebanese officials during his last visit on June 19, would see Hezbollah fully disarmed within four months in exchange for Israel halting air strikes and withdrawing troops from posts in south Lebanon they still occupy following a war last year. Speaking to reporters after meeting Lebanon's president on Monday, Barrack said he had received a seven-page reply, although he gave no details of its contents. "What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time," Barrack said. "I'm unbelievably satisfied with the response." Barrack, a longtime adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump who also serves as U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, said he believed "the Israelis do not want war with Lebanon". "Both countries are trying to give the same thing - the notion of a stand-down agreement, of the cessation of hostilities, and a road to peace," he said. Israel crushed the leadership of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in a bombing campaign last year, one of many fronts on which it has inflicted severe blows against Iran and its allies since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023. Hezbollah has already relinquished some weapons and withdrawn from southern areas under a ceasefire agreed last year. Israel has kept troops at five posts in southern Lebanon and continued targeting Hezbollah fighters with air strikes, saying it wants the group to pose no threat to Israel. An Israeli official, who asked not to be named, said Israel would only withdraw once Hezbollah completely disarmed - and that Israel would keep reinforcing the posts as long as it saw Hezbollah trying to rebuild its forces in south Lebanon. Hezbollah has not publicly responded to the U.S. disarmament proposal, but its leader said on Sunday the group needed to keep some weapons to defend Lebanon from Israel. Sources have told Reuters that the group is considering shrinking its arsenal, without disarming in full. Barrack also met with Lebanon's prime minister and its parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, who is an ally of Hezbollah. Berri's office released a statement saying the meeting was "good and constructive, taking into account Lebanon's interests and sovereignty, the concerns of all Lebanese, and the demands of Hezbollah". In the hours before Barrack's visit, Israel carried out a wave of air strikes on Lebanon's south and east as well as a cross-border ground assault on a Lebanese border village. The Israeli escalation was seen by Lebanese officials and diplomats as an attempt to ratchet up pressure on Hezbollah. Western countries have long said changes in the region could provide a chance for Lebanon to strengthen state institutions that have remained weak for decades in the shadow of powerful sectarian groups. Barrack said Hezbollah needed reassurance that it would still have a future in Lebanon as a major political party. Regional changes provided an opportunity for Lebanon, he said, noting that Syria's new government, which took power last year after the fall of Iranian ally Bashar al-Assad, was now opening dialogue with Israel. "The dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon," he said. "If you don't want change, it's no problem. The rest of the region is moving at Mach speed and you will be left behind." © Thomson Reuters 2025.