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April 25, 2025
 

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FOOD

A plaintiff for a damages lawsuit against Morinaga Milk Industry speaks at a news conference in Osaka after the Osaka District Court dismissed her claims.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2025
Osaka District Court dismisses lawsuit against Morinaga Milk in arsenic case
Presiding Judge Takenori Nomura ruled the 20-year statute of repose for tort claims had already passed.
Cultured meat over 1 centimeter thick developed using a new method incorporating hollow fibers into the cell culture process
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2025
New method developed to make cultured meat thicker
By incorporating hollow fibers into the cell culture process, the team succeeded in creating meat that was about 1 centimeter thick and weighed about 11 grams.
Bags of rice at a warehouse in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Japan imported South Korean rice for the first time since 1999 this month amid soaring domestic prices for the staple grain.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 21, 2025
Japan buys first South Korean rice in over two decades as prices surge
The Japan office of South Korea’s National Agricultural Cooperative Federation said it brought in and sold 2 tons of Korean rice this month.
A historic surge in rice prices in Japan is prompting retailers to turn to cheaper ingredients like barley and noodles in bento meal boxes to keep costs down and hold on to customers.
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2025
Japanese retailers trying to overcome soaring rice prices
Some retailers are expanding the sale of lower-priced foreign rice.
Bottles of Hakkaisan-brand sake for export
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2025
U.S. tariffs overshadow Japan's agriculture and food exports
Japanese goods need to be sold by "emphasizing that there are no alternatives" to them, said Kazuhito Yamashita, senior researcher at the Canon Institute for Global Strategies.
Government-stockpiled rice stacked in a warehouse in Feb. 18 in Saitama Prefecture
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2025
Japan to hold third auction of stockpiled rice next week
In total, 100,000 tons of reserved 2023 rice will be auctioned.
Recently, private companies have sharply increased rice imports while paying high tariffs, against the backdrop of shortages of rice as a staple food.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2025
Finance Ministry calls for increasing tariff-free rice imports
Recently, private companies have sharply increased rice imports while paying high tariffs, against the backdrop of shortages of rice as a staple food.
Farm minister Taku Eto (second from right) meets with rice wholesalers and retailers on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2025
Rice wholesalers and retailers call for better stockpile distribution
The average price of rice sold at supermarkets across the country in the week through April 6 rose for the 14th straight week.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gives instructions to Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa (third from left) and others at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 11, 2025
Japan braces for talks on yen and BOJ in trade negotiations with U.S.
Ryosei Akazawa, who is heading the task force, is reportedly set to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent next week.
A device developed by Fujitsu and others that uses artificial intelligence technology to judge the fat content of frozen albacore tuna, on Wednesday in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 10, 2025
Fujitsu and others use AI to evaluate tuna's fattiness
The device is expected to help expand the distribution of albacore tuna that can be eaten raw.
Stockpiled rice at a rice-polishing factory in Saitama Prefecture in March
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2025
Japan to release stockpiled rice monthly amid record high prices
The move comes after two previous releases appeared to have had little effect in stabilizing prices.
An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Longform
Apr 7, 2025
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
Outdated government policy, changing diets and even an earthquake scare have had an impact on the national food staple.
Aeon has released a ¥321 ($2.20) frozen bento boxed meal containing peperoncino pasta and a hamburger steak with tomato sauce, which went on sale on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 3, 2025
Japan retailers boost own-brand products amid inflation
Private-label products, which retailers develop with manufacturers, can be sold at lower prices than those of name-brand products because of reduced costs.
Aeon launches blended rice "Nisui no Takumi" on Wednesday in the city of Chiba.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2025
Retailer Aeon to sell Japan-U.S. blended rice
Under the name "Nisui no Takumi," the blended rice will be sold from around April 10 at some 2,000 stores across Japan except the Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.
A report from Dai-ichi Life Research Institute shows that the cost of typical food items eaten at the gatherings known as hanami has risen 21.4% in the past six years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2025
Inflation casts shadow over Japan’s cherry blossom season
A report shows that the cost of typical food items eaten at flower viewing gatherings has risen 21.4% in the past six years.
Prices of over 4,000 food and beverage products, including the Asahi Super Dry beer, will increase in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2025
Prices for 4,225 food and drink products set to rise in Japan
The price increases in April reflect rising wages and logistics costs being increasingly passed on to consumers, research firm Teikoku Databank says.
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2025
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
As of the end of 2024, Sukiya operated 1,965 stores in Japan.
Increasing rice production for exports would help enhance supply flexibility as rice could be diverted for domestic consumption in case of a shortage.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2025
Japan advised to boost rice exports to 353,000 tons in 2030
Increasing rice production for exports would help expand supply flexibility as rice could be diverted for domestic consumption in case of a shortage.
Government's stockpiled rice at a warehouse in Saitama Prefecture in February
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2025
Japan begins taking bids in second auction of stockpiled rice
The focus is on whether the release of reserve rice will help curb soaring rice prices.
Japan must correct Trump’s false data for trade talks, says Kono
Former Foreign Minister Taro Kono
Japan wants to 'separate' tariff and security issues. That may be tough.
Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, poses with a "Make America Great Again" cap at the White House in Washington on April 16.
Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026
Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.
Cases of epidural use in labor rise in Japan alongside concerns
Of the 721,000 childbirths reported in 2024 in Japan, 13.8% involved the use of an epidural, according to the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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