Japan's new agriculture minister pledged on Friday to quickly move rice from government stockpiles to store shelves where it would be offered at prices significantly lower than current levels, seeking to stem a consumer shift to cheaper, foreign brands.
Soaring rice prices, due in part to crop damage from extreme heat and additional demand from a boom in tourism, have become a major concern for Japanese consumers as well as the government, with Upper House elections set for July.
The government has been releasing some of its stockpiled rice since March but that has yet to translate to lower supermarket prices.
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