THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Bags of the Calrose variety of rice from the United States, forefront, at a rice store in Saitama Prefecture in 2012 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The government is considering using increased U.S. rice imports as a bargaining chip in its tariff talks with Washington, a plan certain to face opposition from politicians and farmers, sources said April 22.

The United States has criticized Japan’s rice import and distribution system as a trade barrier, saying it is “highly regulated and nontransparent.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has also ranted about the system, falsely claiming that Japan is imposing a 700-percent tariff on U.S. rice.

In Japan-U.S. talks in Washington on April 16, U.S. officials expressed interest in exporting more farm produce, such as meat, citrus fruit, potatoes and rice, to Japan, government sources said.

A senior official in the Ishiba administration said Japan will consider importing more U.S. rice as a possible card to use in the tariff negotiations.

With rice prices soaring in Japan due to supply shortages, some government officials said imports could help to stabilize domestic distribution.

Japan has long protected rice as a “sanctuary” by limiting imports to a bare minimum as farmers form a traditional support base for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Japan currently imports about 770,000 tons of rice tariff-free under a minimum access system based on World Trade Organization rules.

A tariff of 341 yen ($2.43) per kilogram is levied on rice imported outside the system.

Shunichi Suzuki, chairman of the LDP’s General Council, warned against expanding rice imports on April 22.

“Rice is a politically sensitive issue,” Suzuki told a news conference. “We expect the government to discuss the issue on the assumption of protecting Japan’s agriculture.”

With the Upper House election scheduled for summer, Masaji Matsuyama, secretary-general for the LDP in the upper chamber, also called for “extra prudence” in expanding rice imports.

The minimum access system is open to all WTO member countries.

Even if Japan raises the quota, imports from other countries may increase if they are cheaper than U.S. products.

“The United States would not prefer (that proposal),” a senior farm ministry official said.

U.S. rice accounted for 45 percent of the 767,000 tons of rice Japan imported under the minimum access system in fiscal 2024. Thai rice followed with a 43-percent share.

The government may choose to create a separate low-tariff import quota.

Government sources said one option is to revise the Japan-U.S. trade agreement that was concluded in 2019 under the first Trump administration.

When the pact was signed, the United States pledged not to impose additional tariffs on Japanese automobiles, according to government officials.

But the second Trump administration has slapped an additional 25-percent tariff on auto imports.

Some Japanese government officials are wary of amending the agreement, which took effect in 2020, in favor of the United States, which has effectively reneged on its promise.

(This article was compiled from reports by Doni Tani and Hisashi Naito.)

Published Date: April 23, 2025