In response to rising rice prices, the government announced that it would release 210,000 tons of rice stockpile.
Will there be a halt to rising prices?
We will ask Ogawa Shinyo, an assistant professor at Utsunomiya University, and Nishijima Yuzo, a five-star rice master, who is knowledgeable about rice distribution.
Commentator Mita Hiroko:
Even if you look at it all the time, with the hope that it will be cheaper if new rice is released, it won't be cheap at all. So I was thinking of buying it little by little and buying it when it got cheaper, but it's been this long, so I ended up using rice for everything like hometown tax donations.
Commentator Ueji Yusuke:
I really feel that it's getting higher. Rice ball shops have become popular these days. The rice ball shops are also a little more expensive.
When we conducted a survey on the prices of recent rice, we found that most people felt it was "high."
▼ "Yes"...97%
▼ "No"...3%
Female in her 40s
"I definitely want to eat rice, so I think it would be a problem if it continues as high as this."
Female in her 20s
"I feel like it's even higher since it got higher for a while, why is it so high?"
Many people have been worried about rising prices for rice.
Looking at the trend in Koshihikari retail prices, the price was 2,386 yen (5kg) in December 2023.
It started to rise in 2024 and weighed 4,185 yen (5kg) in January.
Megumi Toshiaki:
Initially, they said that once the "Reiwa rice riots" ends, it would calm down, right?
Mr. Ogawa Shinyo, A...
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