Bill to Revise Staple Food Law: Don’t Allow Rice Farming Policy to Regress

Editorial

15:46 JST, April 9, 2026

The rice farming policy was once called “as fickle as a cat” because its basic approach changed so frequently, causing confusion among both producers and consumers.

If the policy to increase production is reviewed, while measures to stimulate demand are neglected, it will only repeat such policy failures.

The aim of a bill to revise the staple food law, which the government has submitted to the Diet, is to ensure a stable supply of major crops such as rice and wheat. The bill explicitly stipulates the government’s basic policy of rice “production that matches demand.”

This means that production will be curtailed if demand growth is not anticipated, preserving a de facto rice acreage reduction policy to keep rice prices from declining. The amendment will shift away from the policy to increase production, which then Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba came out with in summer last year.

To grasp actual distribution conditions, the bill mandates regular reporting not only from agricultural cooperatives, wholesalers and retailers, but also from food processors and restaurant operators.

In addition to government stockpiles, a reserve system will be established in the private sector that requires rice sellers to maintain a certain level of inventory.

During the so-called Reiwa-era rice crisis, in which rice prices soared starting in the summer of 2024, confusion spread due to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry’s slow response. When government-stockpiled rice was released, deliveries to retail stores were delayed mainly due to bidding procedures. The ministry was also unable to accurately assess the extent of bottlenecks in the rice distribution system.

Based on these lessons, the government appears to be taking steps to address issues related to distribution and stockpiling in the revision bill. However, the problem is that the fundamental approach to rice policy has regressed.

Since the 1970s, the government has maintained prices through production adjustments via rice acreage reduction. Although the reduction policy was technically abolished in 2018, subsidies are still being provided to farmers who shift to produce rice for such purposes as for animal feed, letting the rice policy effectively continue to this day.

Didn’t the Reiwa-era rice crisis force the government to shift away from rice policies that have solely given consideration to producers?

The rice acreage reduction policy dampened farmers’ motivation to produce, exacerbating the problems of a shrinking and aging agricultural workforce. It also weakened the production base, preventing a swift response to increased demand due to a growing number of tourists to Japan.

Given global warming and growing geopolitical risks, the importance of food security will only increase. There will be no future if the government continues the reduction policy under the assumption that demand will decrease due to population decline.

In addition to increasing exports, the government should take measures to stimulate demand, including for rice used for processed products such as rice flour. Thorough measures must be implemented to supply rice at prices that allow people to eat with peace of mind from a consumer’s perspective.

To achieve this, it is essential to reduce production costs through the consolidation of rice paddies and the utilization of IT and other technologies. It is also necessary to advance efforts in plant breeding to address global warming and increase yields.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 9, 2026)