Sales of rice from the 2025 harvest to Japan wholesalers were a record‑low 1.32 million tons, according to Mainichi. Retail rice prices in Japan averaged above ¥4,000 per 5 kilograms, almost double the level before supply shortages hit consumers, according to Japan Times.

In February of the previous year, the agriculture ministry announced plans to release 210,000 tons of stockpiled rice, Japan Times reported. The ministry’s decision reversed an earlier policy that had expected the 2024 rice volume to be sufficient to meet demand, also reported by Japan Times. Japan’s staple food law stipulates that releases of government‑stockpiled rice be used to cover “supply shortages due to falling production,” Japan Times added.

Rice began disappearing from store shelves in summer 2024, Japan Times reported, prompting consumer requests for the release of stockpiled rice. The government did not take action to release the stockpiled rice at that time, according to Japan Times.

After rice reappeared in the market in 2024, prices did not fall but climbed higher, Japan Times said. The ministry subsequently changed rules to allow stockpiled rice to be released “in case that smooth rice distribution is disrupted,” Japan Times reported.