Editorial

15:00 JST, June 10, 2025

As rice prices have continued to soar, there are growing public calls for a shift in established agricultural policies.

The causes and issues behind the increases in rice prices, which have doubled from the previous year, must be identified, and reforms aimed at ensuring a stable supply should be implemented.

A council of relevant Cabinet ministers established by the government intends to consider the future rice policy, but it is first necessary to analyze the causes of the price increases and assess whether the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry’s measures to date have been appropriate.

The council is said to be aiming to reach a conclusion within about a year. As part of mid-term reforms, it would be desirable to reconsider the production adjustment policy that effectively amounts to the reduction of rice paddy acreage. It........

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