“吃不起的黄金”，日本人抢疯了

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the severe rice price surge in Japan, which has led to a situation where rice is becoming unaffordable for many citizens, highlighting the underlying issues of agricultural policy imbalance, extreme weather impacts, and increased demand due to tourism recovery [2][4][20]. Group 1: Price Surge and Public Reaction - As of April, rice prices in Japan have increased by 98.4% year-on-year, with the average price for 5 kilograms of rice reaching 4,223 yen (approximately 210 RMB) [4][19]. - Citizens are experiencing extreme measures to cope with high prices, including precise portioning of rice and even incidents of rice theft [15][16]. - The phenomenon of long queues for government-released rice indicates the desperation among consumers [11][18]. Group 2: Causes of the Rice Crisis - The rice crisis is attributed to a "rice shortage," driven by long-term agricultural policies that have restricted production and high import tariffs [7][17]. - Japan's rice planting area has decreased from over 2 million hectares at its peak to 1.344 million hectares in 2023, with total rice production dropping from approximately 12 million tons to about 7.165 million tons [17]. - The revival of Japan's tourism industry has further exacerbated the demand for rice, particularly in the restaurant sector, leading to a supply-demand imbalance [18][20]. Group 3: Government Response and Challenges - The Japanese government has released a total of 410,000 tons of emergency rice reserves since March to stabilize prices, marking the first time since 1995 that such measures have been taken [18][19]. - However, only 7% of the released rice has reached the retail market, indicating significant inefficiencies in the distribution system, primarily due to the monopolistic practices of agricultural cooperatives [19][20]. - New measures introduced by political figure Shinjiro Koizumi aim to reform the rice distribution system and stabilize prices, including a target price of 2,000 yen for 5 kilograms of rice [21][23].