Japan’s rice crisis appears to be easing after months of soaring prices and shortages. Recent data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries shows that the average price for a 5-kilogram bag of rice fell to around 3,920 yen in mid-June 2025, the first time since early March that prices dipped below 4,000 yen.
This aligns with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s target to reduce prices to the 3,000-yen range, as he pledged to take “personal responsibility for the matter,” saying, “rice prices should be in the 3,000-yen range, since staying in the 4,000-yen range can’t be right.”
The crisis was triggered by poor harvests in 2023 due to adverse weather and a surge in demand from returning tourists. Prices more than doubled in two years, with a 101.7% increase recorded in May 2025—the highest in over 50 years.
To tackle shortages, the government released stockpiled rice and retailers began importing rice from the U.S. and South Korea. For example, supermarket chain Aeon started selling California rice in June, while Japan resumed rice imports from South Korea for the first time since 1999, with a private firm exporting 200 tonnes to help ease supply constraints.
Despite these measures, supply remains uneven. Some smaller Tokyo stores still face empty shelves, though larger chains report more stable stocks. Prices, however, remain high, partly due to consumer preference for freshly harvested “shinmai” rice over older stockpiled rice, which is perceived as lower quality.
The Bank of Japan acknowledges the inflationary pressure from rice prices but expects these effects to fade.
“Consumer inflation is moving around 3%. But this is mostly due to rising import costs and rice prices. We expect such pressures to dissipate,” Governor Kazuo Ueda said.