Japan Rice Price Falls below 4,000 Yen, 1st since March

   Tokyo, June 23 (Jiji Press)--The average price of rice sold at about 1,000 supermarkets across Japan in the week through June 15 stood at 3,920 yen per 5 kilograms, slipping below 4,000 yen for the first time since the week ended March 2, the agriculture ministry said Monday.
   The average price was down by 256 yen from the previous week, declining for the 4th straight week and marking the first drop exceeding 100 yen since March 2022, when the ministry started releasing weekly rice prices.
   Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had aimed to push down rice prices to the 3,000-4,000-yen range by as early as mid-June.
   The significant drop likely reflected the distribution of government stockpiled rice released under discretionary contracts.
   Despite the fall, the average rice price was still 1,772 yen higher than that of a year earlier.

(2025/06/23-20:58)

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