Rice Prices Rise for 15th Straight Week, with Releases of Stockpiled Rice Slow to Circulate

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:19 JST, April 22, 2025

Five kilograms of rice went for an average of ¥4,217 at supermarkets from April 7-13, up by ¥3 from the previous week, the agriculture ministry said Monday. It was the 15th consecutive week prices rose, and the average price remained at double the level of the same period last year, or ¥2,078.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry bases its average price on purchase data from about 1,000 supermarkets nationwide. In March, the price of rice in the survey hit ¥4,000 for the first time on record, with data first being collected in March 2022.

To ease kinks in the rice supply, the ministry is gradually releasing 210,000 tons of government stockpiled rice. The ministry also plans to auction off another 100,000 tons this month, and to release stockpiled rice every month until around July.

However, the stockpiled rice has been slow to reach retailers, with only 426 tons distributed to them so far.

Wholesale and retail associations have claimed that distribution is uneven across regions and depends on the size of the company. “We still can’t expect a drop in rice prices,” said a supermarket manager.