Tourists visiting Japan cause rice shortage: Excessive interest in sushi

While rice is consumed as a staple food in Japan, demand for rice has surged due to ongoing poor weather conditions in the country, the earthquake that occurred in August, and a significant increase in the number of tourists, leaving stocks insufficient.

Production in the summer of 2024 failed to meet demand, leaving rice shelves in supermarkets empty.

The significant increase in the number of tourists and the interest of visitors in sushi and other rice-based dishes are also major reasons for the rise in demand. The amount of rice consumed by tourists increased by 51 thousand tons from July 2023 to June 2024. In addition, the Japanese public has also been stocking up on more rice in preparation for typhoons and earthquakes.

Japan, which has high import tariffs of 778 percent on rice, aims to protect its domestic farmers by keeping the amount of imported rice limited. However, the decreasing number of aging rice farmers and the low interest of young people in this field are negatively affecting production. Furthermore, heat waves and droughts experienced last year also made harvests difficult.

Rising rice prices have also affected inflation in Japan. While inflation rose by 2.8 percent in August, rice and chocolate prices were the products that caused the highest price increases in the food basket.

News Source: 12punto