Japan, self-sufficient in rice, may export 200,000 tons it imported under a World Trade Organization agreement, easing a global shortage, the government said Monday.
The country may ship the rice to the Philippines following a request from Manila, Vice Agriculture Minister Toshirou Shirasu said.
The staple for half the world reached a record price April 24 as exporters, including Vietnam and India, cut sales to safeguard local stockpiles. The advance in prices for food, including rice and wheat, has caused riots from Haiti to Egypt.