Japan's rice stockpile has dropped to its lowest level in this century due to a prolonged heatwave in 2023 and rising domestic demand, causing concerns among residents about high prices.
The record-breaking heatwave and low rainfall in 2023 have stunted the growth of crops, including fruits, vegetables, and rice. This has led to reduced shipments and sharp price increases this year.
In Tokyo, Hidehisa Shinohara, a rice store owner, reported that he has never seen such low stockpiles.
"My store now has less than half the stock compared to normal years. Everything is less than half. Many varieties of rice that are typically available are not this year," said Shinohara.
As a result, the cost of rice has surged. The latest figures from the Agriculture Ministry indicate that rice prices have risen by 12 percent from the same period last year, placing additional strain on household finances.
Many consumers are visiting different stores in search of more affordable options.
"Rice is in shortage, and I see many people looking for cheaper alternatives in supermarkets around here," said a local resident.
"I usually buy four to five kilos of rice. When it was cheaper, five kilos cost about 1,400 yen (about 9.51 U.S. dollars), but now four kilos cost over 2,000 yen (about 13.6 U.S. dollars). It's a significant burden," said another resident.
While a new harvest is expected to go on market from late August, businesses say prices are likely to remain high.
The Ministry of Agriculture attributes the shortage to increased demand from the food service industry, which is still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, there is heightened demand from record numbers of inbound tourists who are eager to enjoy Japanese food.
"I think prices will stay elevated due to increased production costs. Farmers have indicated that they cannot make ends meet with last year's price range. We expect more shortages over the next couple of years and need to maintain higher costs to ensure stable shipments," said Hidehisa.
Japanese consumers worry that if the situation persists, it may become difficult for households to enjoy affordable, high-quality rice.
Japan's rice stockpile falls to lowest level in this century
Japan's rice stockpile falls to lowest level in this century
A total of 35,000 new foreign-invested enterprises were set up in China in the first half of 2026, representing a year-on-year growth of 7.0 percent, the State Administration for Market Regulation said on Saturday.
In the first six months, major export-oriented and frontier provincial-level regions became key players in the growth. The tropical island province of Hainan in south China recorded a 38.6-percent growth in the number of new foreign-invested enterprises in the first half of the year, while the coastal provinces of Shandong, Guangdong and Jiangsu reported year-on-year increases of 15.2 percent, 8.1 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, new foreign-invested enterprises in border provincial-level also logged remarkable growth, with Heilongjiang, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Guangxi and Jilin registering increases of 79.5 percent, 29.1 percent, 16.6 percent and 12.0 percent, respectively over the same period of last year.
The number of newly established enterprises in China with investment from Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partnership countries continued to rise in the first six months, with 11,000 new enterprises established in China by BRI partnership countries, Arab countries and African Union countries, up 19.3 percent, 20.6 percent, and 42.8 percent respectively.
China's consumer market is also emerging as a key area for attracting foreign investment. In the first half, newly established foreign-invested enterprises in the health and social work sector, wholesale and retail trade, and accommodation and catering services grew by 27.1 percent 11.9 percent and 11.7 percent, respectively.
The country unveiled a 15-measure action plan to stabilize and optimize foreign investment utilization in June, focusing on expanding market access, streamlining investment procedures, boosting investment promotion, strengthening services and safeguards for foreign investors, and improving foreign capital management.
A new version of the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment, which took effect on Feb 1, aims to steer more foreign capital into advanced manufacturing, modern services, high-tech industries, energy conservation and environmental protection, as well as into the central, western and northeastern regions of the country.
Number of newly established foreign-invested firms in China up 7 percent in January-June
