(Mainichi Japan)

TOKYO — The distribution of all government rice reserves released under negotiated contracts will be completed by the end of March, about six months later than initially scheduled, farm minister Norikazu Suzuki revealed at a press conference after a March 24 Cabinet meeting.

The Japanese government, which began releasing rice reserves at low prices through negotiated contracts in May 2025, is expected to complete the delivery of the entire requested amount (approximately 280,000 metric tons) to vendors.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries initially requested that retailers selling the rice complete sales by the end of August 2025 to avoid impacting the price of the new 2025 rice crop. Due to the large number of applicant vendors, however, it took time to release stocks, and the deadline was extended to allow retailers to continue sales past September. As a result, it took more than half a year longer than initially anticipated to deliver the entire quantity to vendors.

In the press conference, Suzuki explained that as of March 19, approximately 279,000 tons had been shipped out, with “about 900 tons remaining undelivered.” He stated that complete delivery is expected to be finished by the end of the month.

According to the farm ministry, the released rice is from the 2021-2022 harvest, and shipment has been delayed because quality inspections and mesh checks for foreign matter have taken longer than expected.

Initially, the contract rice was sold only to major retailers capable of handling large quantities, leading to the rice appearing in stores just 10 days after then farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s directive to consider the release. To ensure fairness, the sales program was later expanded to include smaller retailers as well as food service operators, ready-to-eat businesses and school meal providers, bringing the number of applicants to over 900 companies. This surge made the contracting process more complex, particularly when it came to reviewing application documents. In addition, the decision to deliver the rice to vendors’ preferred locations and hand it over at delivery trucks further complicated logistics, contributing to the delays.

(Japanese original by Hajime Nakatsugawa, Business News Department)

Published Date: March 25, 2026