VOX POPULI: A grain of doubt niggles at Japan's new rice stockpile policy

Asahi Shimbun

28-05-2025

Bags of stockpiled rice are offered for sale at a supermarket in Nagano on May 21. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
As one might expect from 'Mizuho no Kuni' (The land of bountiful rice), Japan possesses a rich and expressive linguistic tradition centered on rice.
This is vividly illustrated in Shogakukan Inc.'s 'Koji Zokushin Kotowaza Dai-Jiten' (Encyclopedia of classical stories, folk beliefs and proverbs), which contains a wealth of rice-themed old sayings and 'kyoka' short, satirical verses that adhere to the traditional 31-syllable tanka structure.
For example, consider the saying: 'Oboshimeshi yori kome no meshi' (Better a bowl of rice than concern from above).
The phrase hinges on a clever pun involving the word 'meshi.' In 'oboshimeshi,' the term is part of an honorific expression used to convey respectful reference to the thoughts, intentions or wishes of someone of high status.
In contrast, 'kome no meshi' refers quite literally to a bowl of cooked rice. The saying evokes the image of someone declaring that tangible sustenance is far more valuable than lofty sentiments or empty promises from those in power.
That sentiment likely resonates with many Japanese people today, as rice prices continue to climb.
In response, the government has taken the unusual step of selling rice from its emergency reserves directly to retailers through discretionary contracts, departing from its previous practice of auctioning off stockpiled rice.
This move may lead to a swift drop in prices—if all goes according to plan. In practice, however, many retailers may still need to go through wholesalers for milling, potentially blunting the policy's effect.
An old poem captures the frustration of such unpredictability: 'Sando kuu meshi sae kowashi yawarakashi omou mama ni wa naranu yo no naka' (Even rice eaten three times a day turns out too hard or too soft—such is the world: It rarely goes the way we wish).
Just as it is difficult to cook rice to the perfect texture over a traditional hearth, so too is it difficult to shape life precisely 'as one wishes.'
The poem plays on the word meshi, which means both 'cooked rice' and 'meal,' and 'omou mama,' which means 'as one desires.'
As 'mama' can also refer to 'cooked rice,' 'omou mama' can be interpreted not only as 'what one hopes for' but also as 'the ideal bowl of rice.'
The real concern lies in what happens this autumn or later.
The government has made it clear that it will not replenish its rice reserves. Once the current stock is depleted, the same emergency strategy will no longer be available in the event of another crisis. What then?
Last summer, officials brushed aside concerns by insisting that the sense of shortage would disappear once the new harvest reached the market. But surely, that line won't be repeated so easily this time.
At the heart of the issue is a troubling ambiguity: The root cause of the current disruption remains unclear. Was it the extreme heat that compromised rice quality and led to milling losses? A spike in rice consumption by foreign visitors? Or perhaps a deeper failure in agricultural policy?
A timeworn proverb offers a pointed reminder: 'Kome hitotsubu, ase hitotsubu' (One grain of rice, one drop of sweat).
Every glistening white grain contains the labor and perseverance of farmers.
As the head of the Ibaraki prefectural central union of agricultural cooperatives recently lamented in The Asahi Shimbun's Ibaraki edition: 'If rice is sold in the 2,000-yen range for 5 kilograms (as the government hopes), sustainable farming becomes impossible.'
His words still resonate.
—The Asahi Shimbun, May 28
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.