Despite the Japanese government's efforts to stabilize rice prices, an expert has expressed doubts about the long-term impact of the upcoming auction of reserve rice, raising concerns about further price volatility and its potential to strain household budgets.
Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries announced on Monday that it will hold an auction for government reserve rice from March 10, targeting major rice wholesalers.
The initial auction will cover 150,000 tons of rice, the first such move to stabilize market distribution. After distribution to wholesalers, the rice is expected to reach store shelves as early as late March.
Japan's government plans to release a total of 210,000 tons of its rice reserves into the market, in efforts to alleviate financial strain on households that have been struggling to cope with soaring rice prices.
Naito Osamu, head of the Information Division at the corporate research firm Teikoku Databank, believes that the release of reserve rice is merely a temporary measure, and that further policy discussions are needed to stabilize prices in the long term.
"The current situation is that rice prices in the market have continued to rise after the announcement of the reserve rice release. Therefore, we still need to see whether rice prices will stabilize as they once did when the reserve rice actually enters the market," he said.
Naito noted that the high prices of rice are not an isolated issue, as other essential food items in Japan, including vegetables, are also experiencing significant price increases.
The latest data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at the end of February indicated that the national average prices for napa cabbage and round cabbage are more than double those of the same period last year.
High prices have added pressure to the daily lives of Japanese citizens and altered some people's spending patterns.
"Since it is difficult to reduce spending on key commodities like food, people can only cut back on other expenses and use the saved money for essential items like food," said Naito Osamu.
Naito said that prices in Japan are unlikely to decrease in the short term, and future prices will depend in part on global economic conditions and the exchange rate of the Japanese yen.
"Various external factors, such as the inauguration of the Trump administration in the U.S., have made the outlook more uncertain. Many consumers feel uneasy about the future and have become more reluctant to spend," he said.
Japan's rice reserve auction raises concerns about further price volatility
Japan's rice reserve auction raises concerns about further price volatility
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
