TOKYO -- Japan's private sector is expected to import roughly 20 times more rice in fiscal 2025 than the year before, as a historic surge in the price of the staple grain leads restaurants and other businesses to turn to foreign alternatives.
Imports to swell as Tokyo weighs buying even more from America amid tariff talks

Average retail prices for Japanese rice are more than double those of last year, according to government data. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
TOKYO -- Japan's private sector is expected to import roughly 20 times more rice in fiscal 2025 than the year before, as a historic surge in the price of the staple grain leads restaurants and other businesses to turn to foreign alternatives.