Lawson, FamilyMart Begin Selling Govt-Stockpiled Rice

   Tokyo, June 5 (Jiji Press)--Major Japanese convenience store chain operators Lawson Inc. and FamilyMart Co. on Thursday began selling government-stockpiled rice released under no-bid contacts.
   Their sales are expected to make it easier for consumers to access stockpiled rice after it sold out quickly at major supermarkets and other places in many cases.
   On Thursday, Lawson started selling 1-kilogram and 2-kg bags of stockpiled rice at 360 yen and 700 yen before tax, respectively, at 10 outlets in Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture.
   A customer in his 50s who bought the rice at an outlet in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward said, "I'm glad because it's cheap." "I heard it doesn't smell that much, so I want to eat it right away," he added.
   Lawson will sell the rice nationwide except for Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, from June 14.

(2025/06/05-13:46)