Inflation hits Tokyo markets, shoppers scramble for rice and essentials

JAPAN: Outside Tokyo, a crowd of more than 100 people gathered at a weekend market, all with the same goal: to grab a kilo of rice for just ¥500 (S$4.45). Armed with small wooden boxes, shoppers carefully heaped grain in a playful contest that looked like a festival game—but behind the smiles, there was anxiety. Twenty-eight-year-old Tasuku Uchida, holding his modest haul, says that as he looked at his receipt, he realised he hadn’t bought anything extra — and it hit him: Prices have gone through the roof. For many, rice — long a symbol of comfort and tradition — is starting to feel like a luxury.

Japan’s near-record rice prices are fuelled by lingering fears over supply and inflation that has outpaced wage growth for years. Supermarket prices for a 5-kg bag recently averaged ¥4,235 — almost double last year’s cost. Even wholesale prices for the new harvest reached historic highs in September, as dealers scrambled to avoid a repeat of last year’s shortages.

The surge is rattling both consumers and policymakers. Newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who assumed office in October, is preparing an economic package that could include rice coupons for households. Meanwhile, imports of cheaper foreign rice are rising sharply, despite Japan’s steep tariffs.

Farmers are feeling the pinch, too. “It’s too expensive,” said Yasuji Oshima, a grower in Ibaraki Prefecture, but he warned that reducing prices back to pre-2024 levels could put farm profits at risk and dampen the spirits of younger generations to continue working.

As consumers put rice into their wooden cases with cautious accuracy, this development manifests both a carefree and an expressive image and a picture of a more profound challenge — how Japan can make its main staple affordable, maintain food security within the country, and secure the future of its farming industry in a period of tenacious price increases.