NANYO, Japan -- On a lush green plain bordered by mountains in northern Japan's Yamagata prefecture, Nobuhiko Kurosawa does what 20 generations of his family have done before him: He grows rice.
Japanese rice farmers like Nobuhiko Kurosawa, pictured weeding in his paddy fields in Yamagata, June 16, suffered a hit to their harvests from a major heat wave in 2023. The resulting drop in supply has seen rice prices skyrocket to their highest levels in 30 years. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
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