Japanese shoppers scramble for cheap government-issued rice amid shortage crisis
Japan's agricultural minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, said on June 3, 2025, that the government was ready to offer more stockpiled rice directly to retailers as emergency-use grain was made available the week before. Long queues have formed at stores where customers are being limited to one bag of rice per sale. Rice prices have surged since the summer of 2024. Industry experts say supplies have fallen short of demand because of extreme heat related to climate change and recent speculation about an impending earthquake.
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