日本公布新版政府储备米投放方案：不再竞标，价格更低！“米荒”持续，日媒：堪比“吃不起的黄金”

Group 1 - The Japanese government has announced a new rice reserve release plan, opting for direct contracts with large retailers instead of auctioning to intermediaries, resulting in a 47% price reduction compared to recent auction prices [1] - The price of rice in Japan has surged, with a 98.4% increase year-on-year as of April, marking the highest rise since 1971, leading to concerns about rice becoming unaffordable by 2025 [1][2] - Since March, the Japanese government has released a total of 410,000 tons of reserve rice, the first such action since the establishment of the reserve system in 1995, but only 7% has reached the retail market [2] Group 2 - The Japanese Agricultural Cooperative (JA) has acquired 95% of the released reserve rice, leading to a situation where the government releases rice but the cooperative hoards it, creating a "buyer monopoly" [2][4] - The JA controls over 90% of rice transactions in Japan, managing the entire supply chain from production to sales, and has significant financial power with assets exceeding 100 trillion yen [4] - The current rice crisis in Japan is attributed to systemic issues within agricultural policy and the concentration of power, raising alarms about food security [5] Group 3 - Japanese tourists are increasingly purchasing rice in South Korea due to rising prices in Japan, with reports of significant sales increases in Korean supermarkets attributed to this trend [6] - The average retail price of 5 kg of rice in Japan was 4,214 yen, while in South Korea, it was 29,782 won, indicating a price disparity that influences consumer behavior [6]