There is a shortage of rice in multiple regions of Japan, and the government refuses to release reserve rice

Recently, the situation of "rice shortage" has continued in many places in Japan. In some areas, there has been a serious shortage of rice supply since July, and now it has spread to more places. About 80% of retail stores in Osaka Prefecture are out of stock of rice. Similar situations are also faced in Saitama Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture, Oita Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture. In some supermarkets, rice is quickly snapped up after being put on the shelves and even has to be subject to purchase restrictions. Many supermarkets in the capital Tokyo also experience a shortage of rice.

Osaka Prefecture Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on August 26 to release government reserve rice, believing that rice should not be left idle in warehouses when the supply is tight. Retailers and consumers also support this proposition. However, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Sakamoto Tetsushi clearly stated at a press conference on August 30 that new rice will be on the market soon and reserve rice will not be released to avoid affecting the circulation of rice. He also does not think that the government is slow in responding to the "rice shortage".

The last time there was a "rice shortage" in Japan was in 1993. At that time, due to weather reasons, rice production was greatly reduced, and the government urgently imported about 2.59 million tons of rice from abroad. On the one hand, this "rice shortage" is due to the reduction in rice production caused by the intense heat last summer. On the other hand, the increase in the number of foreign tourists has promoted the growth of rice demand. In addition, the Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a warning that the possibility of a major earthquake in the Nankai Trough in the Pacific off the east of Japan has increased, which has led some people to purchase and hoard large amounts of rice. At present, the "rice shortage" in many places in Japan is still continuing, and the government's decision to refuse to release reserve rice has attracted widespread attention.