Japan Convenience Stores Begin Sales of Government Rice; Familymart, Lawson Plan to Expand Sales Nationwide

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:05 JST, June 5, 2025

Sales of stockpiled rice that the government sold under no-bid contracts began at major convenience stores on Thursday.

FamilyMart Co. and Lawson, Inc. began selling the rice for ¥360 per kilogram, excluding tax, at some of their stores in Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture. Both plan to expand the sales nationwide.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited a FamilyMart in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Thursday morning. He expressed his hope for lower rice prices, saying, “I hope this will lead to a nationwide rollout of stockpiled rice.”

Major convenience store operators are selling stockpiled rice harvested in 2021, with FamilyMart selling it at 10 stores each in Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture, and Lawson selling it at five stores each for ¥700 for 2 kilograms before tax.

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. will start selling the rice as “no-wash rice” at ¥718 for 2 kilograms, excluding tax, at some stores in Tokyo, Osaka Prefecture and other locations from June 17.

Stockpiled rice released under no-bid contracts began to be sold at major supermarkets and other stores on Saturday. Convenience store operators applied for rice that has been set aside for small and midsize retailers.