Japan 2024 Rice Supply: Updated Aug. 19, 2025.

Japan's 2024 rice demand tops estimate, outstrips supply again

Article source:  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250730/p2g/00m/0bu/046000c

Ideas

You would think, as important as rice is for Japanese consumers, that whomever in the Japanese government would be able to to estimate what demand will be each year, each quarter and so on.

There is something significantly amiss to what is going on with rice production in Japan and or Japan is not taking advantage of using foreign rice to supplement its rice supply.

Again, perhaps its time to open the flood gates in a let all the foreign rice that is needed enter Japan as unfortunately the domestic rice market is highly protected and even though Japanese consumers might not like all foreign rice as the price is high for domestic rice, some Japanese consumers will begin to buy the foreign rice as needed.

We live in a global world with products available from many different countries. There is no longer the need to protect some domestic sectors as cooperation and trade among countries is a win situation for everyone.

Supporting rice production in Japan is good and needed but at the same time, open the flood gates and let more foreign rice into Japan. Japan is an ageing society and the age of Japanese farmers is even worse, as more and more young people are heading to Osaka and Tokyo and other metro areas.

It's time to completely overhaul the rice producing sector in Japan and bring Japan into the 21st century. Most farms in the US are now corporate farms and not farms owned by individuals or families. While it might take a while corporate farming might be what is really needed in Japan, eventually, to overhaul the entire agricultural sector.

Unfortunately the weather has a large par to play in rice production, but again, with more scientific farming and even smart farming Japan could eventually turn its rice situation around but nothing is going to change if Japan doesn't move into the 21st century with the implementation of smart farms.

The Japanese government has got to setup plans to help farmers become 21st century smart farmers and get away from 19th and 20th century style of rice production.

It's quite possible but maybe not probable that certain middlemen groups have been controlling the rice market in Japan to keep the price high for their benefit. It will be hard to prove it or see it as some businessmen have subtle ways to influence the market and the price of products.

There might have never been any criminal motive to keep prices high other than to ensure that profits for some or certain groups remained high enough during the rice shortage period.

And again, the hot summer weather, at record levels had a lot to do with shortage and no doubt pest outbreaks also may have increased the shortage situation.

Yes, an increase in inbound for foreign tourism might have contributed some but not all of the rice shortage in Japan as foreign tourists didn't eat all of the rice supply in Japan.

And yes, in late July or early August of 2024 there was the idea of a potential major earthquake in the news in Japan which caused a run on rice and many consumers in Japan horded rice like some people horded certain products during the pandemic.

As a result of the rice hording, the rice supply resulted in a significant shortage that is still on on going in the summer of 2025.

So in essence, part of the rice shortage in Japan is the making of Japanese consumers over-buying rice supplies due to their fear of believing everything they hear in the news.

Have a nice day!