Please enable JavaScript to read this content. Farmers in a rice field at Mitunguu in South Imenti, Meru County. [Phares Mutembei, Standard] Last week, I had a rare ...

TOKYO — Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain, which is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over ...

Farmers in a rice field at Mitunguu in South Imenti, Meru County. [Phares Mutembei, Standard] Last week, I had a rare opportunity of visiting Japan's tranquil rice fields in Nara region and my mind ...

In Japan, the ruling government is weighing whether or not to put rice on the table. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have forced countries around the world—most recently announced, China—to take a ...

Sanae Takaichi came to power promising to tame inflation. But she’s boosting the crop’s cost to appease a subsidy-fuelled ...

KAMIMOMI, Japan (AP) — In the remote village of Kamimomi in Japan’s western Okayama prefecture, a small group of rice farmers began their most recent harvest in sweltering heat, two weeks sooner than ...

Japan is experiencing an unexpected rice shortage driven by a surge in both domestic consumption and an influx of tourists, according to local reports. The demand has led to a spike in prices, ...

An off-the-cuff remark about never paying for rice has cost Japan’s agriculture minister his job, as pressure mounts on the government to solve the nation’s rice crisis. Taku Eto resigned on Wednesday ...

Shinjiro Koizumi, agriculture minister of Japan, eats a rice ball during his visit to a rice farm in Sugito, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Credit - Soichiro Koriyama—Getty ...

Japan's former farm minister said he has never had to buy rice as he received it from his supporters. The comment struck a nerve with locals amid rocketing prices of the beloved staple. Rice in Japan ...

Whether it’s posting pictures of him eating gyudon (beef bowl) between meetings or holding rice balls at campaign stops, Shinjiro Koizumi has worked hard to portray himself as a regular Tokyoite. The ...