Posted on 05/22/2025 7:28:20 AM PDT by delta7
Japanese Minister Taku Etō has been forced to resign amid the ongoing rice crisis. For those unaware, Japan has been facing a severe rice shortage since 2024, which makes the US egg crisis look minuscule in comparison. Etō delivered a fatal blow to his career by saying that he does not need to worry about the price of rice since he receives it freely through donations.
His comments were taken as a modern-day “Let them eat cake.” “I asked myself whether it is appropriate for me to stay at the helm [of the agriculture ministry] at a critical time for rice prices, and I concluded that it is not,” Etō added, according to the Kyodo news agency. “Once again, I apologise to people for making extremely inappropriate comments as minister when they are struggling with surging rice prices.” He later added that his wife was upset with him for his comments, as they do purchase rice once the donations run dry.
Poor weather conditions in 2023 led to a significant decline in crop yields. The Japanese government has placed high tariffs on imported rice, and Japanese consumers strongly prefer domestic varieties. The government is releasing over 300,000 metric tons of rice from its emergency reserves through July, in addition to the 310,000 tons released since March, but this is not sufficient to meet demand.
Japan reluctantly began importing rice to meet demand. In February alone, Japan imported roughly 40% of what it imported in FY2023. Last week, rice prices hit a record ¥4,268 yen ($29) for 5kg of rice, up from ¥4,214 the previous week. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications alerted the public that rice prices rose 92.1% year-on-year in March, but prices continued to rise. Last month in mid-April, a 5kg bag of rice reached ¥4,220 (about $29–$30), marking the highest price on record and over an 80% YoY increase.
Japan was previously nearly entirely self-sufficient in rice production, but recently bought rice from South Korea for the first time in 25 years, and has also turned to the United States to fill the gap. Panic buying remains prevalent despite the high cost of rice, as it is a staple in the Japanese diet.………
I would take a pass on rice from China or India. Who knows what has been dumped in the water.
(I Like Rhee Chun California grown short grain rice, but I get it in the local Oriental Grocery Store.)
I would take a pass on rice from China or India. Who knows what has been dumped in the water.
(I Like Rhee Chun California grown short grain rice, but I get it in the local Oriental Grocery Store.)
Lets just say that India and China have a problem with contaminates in their water and by extension, their rice. IIRC we have a problem with Arsenic in some rice growing areas in the U.S. Used as an insecticide or something.
I always buy jasmine rice, either from Walmart or Amazon, whichever is cheaper. No idea where it comes from; I guess I should check...
Also, many Japanese rice farmers are getting older, and are not being replaced by youths
The family tradition of successive Japanese generations of rice farmers following in their parents footsteps is considered archaic.
Tilted. Japan. IIRC small farms are disappearing and being replaced larger automated farms the same as the U.S. Before college when I worked as a carpenter I lost the sense of woodworking romance pretty quickly. If I could do it with a machine or tool rather than by hand I would.
Rice flu?....
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