Japan turns to Thai and Vietnamese rice as prices soar

Short-grain types on rise among Southeast Asian farmers eyeing export opportunities

20250604N Thai rice harvest

Rice farmers in Thailand have two or even three harvesting seasons, meaning higher output and lower prices. © Reuters

KOKI IZUMI, YUJI NITTA and YUI SATO

BANGKOK/HANOI/TOKYO -- Rice imports from Southeast Asia are ramping up in Japan, providing a more-affordable source of the staple grain as persistently tight domestic supply keeps prices high.

Vietnam's Tan Long Group plans to bring over 20,000 metric tons of rice to Japan this year, more than quadruple last year's total and equivalent to the annual consumption for around 400,000 people. While the company had mainly imported long-grain indica rice, it expanded into short-grain japonica rice, the type usually grown in Japan, last fall.

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