Some 300 kg of top-quality Koshihikari-brand rice was reported stolen from a warehouse here Monday morning, according to local police.
Investigators said the theft was reported by employees of a local food and liquor discount store at around 8:35 a.m.
According to an investigation, 30 10-kg sacks of newly harvested Koshihikari rice from the Uonuma district of Niigata Prefecture were missing from the warehouse.
The Koshihikari of this district is the most coveted in Japan and is very expensive.
The stolen rice was worth some 195,000 yen, police said.
Police said the sacks were last confirmed to have been in the warehouse when an employee locked the shutters Saturday night.