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[Global Times Comprehensive Report] According to Yahoo News Japan on the 20th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan released a report saying that at the end of June this year, the inventory of brown rice in Japan hit the lowest level on record, and the average transaction price rose by 14% year-on-year, the highest in nearly 11 years. Corresponding to the data, the rice supply in many markets in Japan is in short supply, which has aroused public concerns. Japanese media also put forward the term "Reiwa rice turmoil".

Yomiuri TV found that many supermarkets in Tokyo have limited the purchase of 5 kg or more of bagged rice, and instead offer 2 kg or more expensive varieties produced in the U.S. The head of a supermarket in Saitama Prefecture said that the description of "rice turmoil" is not an exaggeration, and many customers have reported that they have replaced rice with plain noodles and rice cakes as their staple food.

Japanese media generally believe that the "rice turmoil" stems from the poor rice harvest caused by last year's extreme heat and the surge in tourists visiting Japan, which has increased consumer demand. According to Yomiuri TV, Hiroyuki Kishi, a professor at Keio University who was once an economic official of the Japanese government, also analyzed that the policy mistakes of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries also caused the reduction in rice production. Hiroyuki Kishi said: "The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries told farmers that the demand for rice is decreasing and there is no need to grow edible rice anymore. Instead, it encourages the production of animal feed, and farmers who respond to the policy can receive subsidies. In this way, the supply of rice will naturally decrease."

Hiromichi Akiba, president of Akidai Co., Ltd., which operates a chain of supermarkets and restaurants, told Yomiuri TV that as new rice enters the market, people do not need to panic and overstock. Hiromichi Akiba focused on the agricultural environment through the "rice turmoil": "Rice prices are very low now, farming is not profitable, the number of elderly people is decreasing, abandoned farmland is increasing, and there are no young people to take over. So the hot weather alone has caused a sharp rise in rice prices. We must control this aspect." (Qinggui)