KYODO NEWS

TOKYO – Concerns over a rice shortage are growing in Japan, with empty shelves becoming noticeable in supermarkets and stores, against the backdrop of rising demand.

Some consumers are trying to stockpile rice after the weather agency earlier this month issued its first-ever advisory warning of the increased risk of a megaquake along the Nankai Trough that stretches from central to southwestern Japan in the Pacific.

But Japan is currently in a transitional period as new rice is being released into the market. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has called on consumers to remain calm, assuring them that the shortage will be resolved in the near future.

At a supermarket in Tokyo late last week, a female customer was standing in amazement in front of the empty rice shelves. Another housewife in her 50s sighed, saying, “Rice is a staple food, but it is becoming difficult to buy. It’s troubling.”

Ito-Yokado, a major Japanese supermarket chain run by Seven & i Holdings Co., has recently tightened restrictions on rice purchases, limiting them to one item per family, although a retailer said, “We just need to be patient until new rice becomes available.”

In the restaurant industry, Minoru Kanaya, president of Skylark Holdings Co., said, “Soaring rice prices are accelerating rises in costs.” Royal Holdings Co., which uses domestically grown rice, also expects costs to climb by around 100 million yen ($693,000).

In July, rice prices jumped 18.0 percent from the previous year, the biggest rise in 20 years, due in part to higher demand from foreigners, as the annual total of people visiting Japan from abroad in 2024 is forecast to reach a record 35 million.

A farmer in the northern prefecture of Aomori, however, said, “High temperatures are causing rice to grow faster, but it’s going well. There was no impact from typhoons. There’s no need to panic.”

A person familiar with the agriculture ministry’s thinking said, “We’ve heard from producing areas that rice is growing well. Given that new rice is set to be distributed from now on, we believe the rice shortage will be resolved to some extent.

Published Date: August 26, 2024