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 - The price of rice in Japan has nearly doubled, with a 98.4% increase compared to the previous year, leading to public outcry and unusual behaviors such as long queues for affordable rice [2][4][6]. - The average price for 5 kilograms of rice reached 4,223 yen (approximately 210 RMB), with a year-on-year increase of 97.7% [4][5]. - Citizens are resorting to precise measurements of rice consumption, with families controlling portions down to grams, reflecting the drastic changes in daily life due to rising prices [15][24]. Group 2: Causes of the Rice Crisis - The root cause of the rice price surge is identified as a "rice shortage," driven by long-term agricultural policy failures, extreme weather, and increased demand from the recovering tourism sector [7][18]. - Japan's strict import restrictions and decades-long production reduction policies have significantly limited domestic rice supply, with rice planting area decreasing from over 2 million hectares to 1.344 million hectares by 2023 [17][18]. - The total rice production has dropped from approximately 12 million tons at its peak to about 7.165 million tons in 2023, a reduction of over 40% [17][18]. Group 3: Government Response and Challenges - The Japanese government has attempted to alleviate the crisis by releasing 410,000 tons of government reserve rice, marking the first time since 1995 that such measures have been taken [18][20]. - However, only 7% of the released reserve rice has actually reached the retail market, indicating significant inefficiencies in the distribution system [18][19]. - The Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) has been criticized for monopolizing the distribution of reserve rice, which undermines government efforts to stabilize prices [19][20]. Group 4: Political Actions and Future Outlook - Prime Minister Kishida has appointed political figure Shinjiro Koizumi to lead efforts in stabilizing rice prices and reforming the agricultural distribution system [20][21]. - Koizumi's strategy includes setting a target price of 2,000 yen for 5 kilograms of rice, which aims to reassure the public and stimulate market activity [21]. - Despite these efforts, experts warn that merely releasing reserve rice will not address the fundamental issues, and a more comprehensive approach is needed to balance agricultural transformation and globalization [24].