“2,000-Yen” govt-stockpiled rice reaches consumers in Japan

On Sunday, major retailer Aeon Co. and discount store operator Don Quijote Co., a subsidiary of Pan Pacific International Holdings Corp., will start selling government-stockpiled rice at their stores in Tokyo. They plan to gradually expand their sales areas.

   

The government is also advancing preparations for releasing 80,000 tons of its stockpiled rice harvested in 2021 to small and medium-sized businesses, including rice shops.

The next issue is whether making inexpensive government-stockpiled rice available around the country can help lower overall rice prices.

   

Retail rice prices have remained high, with the average price of rice sold at about 1,000 supermarkets across Japan in the week through May 18 rising to 4,285 yen per 5 kilograms, the highest since records began in March 2022.

“I want the prices of other rice to go down to around 3,000 yen,” a man who bought a bag of government-stockpiled rice after waiting in a line since early morning said, expressing hope for the effects of the release of the inexpensive rice.