According to data released by the Japanese government on December 5, the price of rice in Japan reached a new high. The average price of 5 kilograms of rice exceeded 4,000 yen for 13 consecutive weeks, or about 182.3 yuan. Beginning in the summer of 2024, rice prices in Japan continued to rise due to factors such as poor rice harvests due to extreme high temperatures. After Takaichi Sanae came to power, the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Suzuki Norikazu expressed opposition to putting reserve rice on the market and proposed issuing large rice discount vouchers to specific people, such as those with low incomes. Faced with the high price of rice, many Japanese people lament that this important staple food has become a “luxury item.”

According to data released by the Japanese government on December 5, the price of rice in Japan reached a new high. The average price of 5 kilograms of rice exceeded 4,000 yen for 13 consecutive weeks, or about 182.3 yuan. Beginning in the summer of 2024, rice prices in Japan continued to rise due to factors such as poor rice harvests due to extreme high temperatures. After Takaichi Sanae came to power, the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Suzuki Norikazu expressed opposition to putting reserve rice on the market and proposed issuing large rice discount vouchers to specific people, such as those with low incomes. Faced with the high price of rice, many Japanese people lament that this important staple food has become a “luxury item.”