Average retail price of rice in Japan nearly doubled in a year

The average retail price of rice in Japanese stores has almost doubled over the year. This is evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of the country. According to this data, the average market price for 5 kg of rice in the first week of February 2025 reached 3,829 yen ($25.22 at the current exchange rate). This is 90% higher than last February, when 5 kg of rice cost about 2,000 yen ($13.17) in supermarkets. The price of rice in Japan has been consistently rising all last year amid a poor harvest, which was caused, in particular, by a series of natural disasters and abnormal heat. At the same time, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture notes that against the backdrop of rising rice ...