Japan's rice crisis: Greedy tourists won't stop eating it

Three Japanese Women in Colored Kimonos Eating Rice, anonymous, (1900-1920) public domain

Japan is selling off its emergency rice stash for the first time since 2016¹ because prices have doubled, and would you believe one of the culprits is tourists stuffing their faces with onigiri at every 7-Eleven from Tokyo to Osaka?

France 24 reports that record numbers of visitors are partly to blame for Japan's current rice shortage, along with a brutal heat wave in 2023 that damaged crops and some panic buying after earthquake warnings. The situation is so dire that a humble 5-kilogram bag of rice now costs 4,206 yen ($29) — double what it cost last year, as reported by AFP. Some shifty merchants are apparently sitting on their rice supplies too, waiting to cash in when prices climb even higher.

Agriculture Minister Taku Eto announced the government will keep auctioning off its stockpile "until this summer" when new harvests come in. They've already released 210,000 tonnes of rice, with another 100,000 tonnes hitting the market in late April. The timing is particularly awkward since Japan wants to boost its rice exports to 350,000 tonnes by 2030 — even though Japanese people themselves are eating less rice these days, preferring bread and noodles.

"In order to stabilise rice prices that have soared, the government will sell off its reserve rice every month," Eto told reporters, presumably while eyeing the nearest tourist-packed donburi shop with suspicion.

1. Year corrected (Source)