The Abe administration proposed Wednesday abolishing in 2018 the decades-old government program of limiting paddy usage to keep rice prices high, a landmark policy shift that would increase competition among domestic farmers.
The plan was formally unveiled during a meeting of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers, many of whom represent rice-growing rural areas.
According to the plan, the government would start cutting subsidies next year to rice farmers who have agreed to reduce paddy usage to meet government-set goals. The subsidies would eventually disappear by 2018.