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July 07, 2025
 

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RICE

Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2025
Government to release stockpiled rice for processed foods from August
The government will release its stockpiled rice for use in processed foods and beverages such as miso, rice crackers, sake and shōchū distilled spirits.
Farmers spray herbicide at Kazuhachi Hosaka's rice farm in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, on June 19.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2025
In reversal, Japan now wants rice farmers to produce more. Will it work?
The new direction has taken on an unexpected urgency as Japan grapples with a shortage of the all-important staple.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2025
Trump floats Japan tariff as top adviser says deals to come after July 4
The U.S. president cited what he said was Japan's unwillingness to accept U.S. rice exports, the latest round of brinkmanship before a July 9 deadline for higher tariffs.
Rice paddies in the city of Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Rice is a major crop for Hokkaido, with the region having produced 562,400 tons of it last year.
BUSINESS / Economy / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jun 30, 2025
U.S. import pressure raises concerns for Hokkaido agriculture
The U.S. is nudging Japan to import more rice, soybeans, and maize — vital crops that support Hokkaido's economy.
Government-stockpiled rice aiming at resolving persisting price rises displayed at a supermarket in Tokyo on May 31
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2025
Japan private-sector rice imports soar in May
Restaurants and consumers are increasingly turning to U.S. brands in search of cheaper prices.
Bentos are popular with a wide range of people in Japan for convenience and price.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2025
Bento shop bankruptcies could hit a record in 2025
Inflation, weak economic growth and work-at-home arrangements are leading to a decline in sales, lower profits and losses.
A customer picks up a bag of government-stockpiled rice sold at a convenience store in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2025
Price of rice in Japan falls below ¥4,000 per 5 kilograms
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had aimed to push down rice prices to the ¥3,000-¥4,000 range by as early as mid-June.
Turn your old rice into a simple, delicious meal by cooking it with other ingredients.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jun 22, 2025
One way to bring back the mojo in ‘old old old rice’
Go against the grain by turning stockpiled or “komai” rice into a delicious meal — the trick is to mix it with other ingredients.
The government aims to promote a drastic review of its rice policy by understanding farmers' medium- and long-term plans on planting areas and others.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
Japan to survey farmers on rice production intentions
By understanding farmers' medium- and long-term plans on planting areas and others, the government aims to promote a drastic review of its rice policy.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food quickened for a third month to 3.7% from a year earlier in May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 20, 2025
Japan’s prices climb by most in two years ahead of Upper House election
Consumer prices excluding fresh food quickened for a third month to 3.7% from a year earlier in May, according to an internal affairs ministry's release Friday.
The public approval rate for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet in June was up 6.1 percentage points from the previous month, likely reflecting measures that were taken to combat soaring rice prices under new agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2025
Ishiba Cabinet approval rate improves to 27%, poll shows
The increase likely reflects measures that were taken to combat soaring rice prices under new agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2025
Farm ministry says farmers 'misunderstand' rice statistics
The farm ministry's position lacks accountability, an expert from the University of Tokyo has said.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi talks to rice farmers in Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2025
Agriculture ministry aims to stop publishing rice index amid accuracy concerns
A gap between the rice crop situation index and farmers’ testimonies about actual yields occurred because the agriculture ministry was using outdated sampling numbers.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives at Calgary International Airport in Canada on Sunday for a Group of Seven leaders' summit.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2025
Polls show support for Ishiba recovering ahead of election
A survey conducted over the weekend by Kyodo News showed the approval rating for Ishiba’s Cabinet at 37.0%.
Reports about fraudulent online rice shops to consumer affairs centers around the country spiked to 335 cases in April and May alone.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2025
Reports of online rice scams surging in Japan
Reports about fraudulent online rice shops to consumer affairs centers around the country spiked to 335 cases in April and May alone, as much as is normally seen in a year.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2025
Japan to move up auctions for imported rice
This year's first auction for rice as a staple food will take place on June 27 instead of the usual September, agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Thursday.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi eats a rice ball made of stockpiled rice during a tasting event in Tokyo on May 29.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 11, 2025
How long can Koizumi stay frenemies with the agriculture lobby?
The farm minister's aggressive advocacy for change in the agriculture sector sets him up for a direct showdown with Japan Agricultural Cooperatives.
Bags of rice from the government's stockpile are sold at a Don Quijote store in Tokyo's Ota Ward on June 1.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2025
Applications open for latest batch of stockpiled rice
Retailers who previously bought stockpiled rice under no-bid contracts can reapply, but only for amounts they can sell by August.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks in a news conference after a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2025
Japan to release extra 200,000 tons of stockpiled rice as prices fall
The average price of a 5-kilogram bag of rice at supermarkets in the week through June 1 was ¥4,223, down ¥37 from the previous week.
Japan faces soaring rice prices, a powerful farming cooperative resistant to change, declining farmer numbers, falling rice consumption and conflicting government policies that hinder effective reform of the sector.
COMMENTARY
Jun 10, 2025
How ‘vintage’ rice is shaking up Japanese politics
Rice is where consumers have drawn the line. The staple rose by 98% in the past year, adding almost half a percentage point to headline inflation.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
Tokyo and Kyoto feature among top ‘noctourism’ destinations
Tokyo ranked second after New York and ahead of Dubai and Singapore in a ranking of the top global cities for nighttime tourism.
Elon Musk says he has created a new U.S. political party
Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 30.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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