In May 2025, rice prices in Japan hit 4,233 yen or about $30 per five kilograms - about twice as high as they were a year ago. Prices have gone up for over 15 weeks in a row. In response, the Japanese government released 600,000 tons of rice from its emergency food stockpiles - usually stored for natural disasters like earthquakes. But prices remain high. Supermarkets in Japan are announcing they will sell rice from other countries like South Korea and...even gasp America! Yes, I am talking about that most blasphemous of rice strains: Calrose. Japan is nearly 100% self sufficient in rice. On the surface, that is something to be proud of. But not so much when you consider the system built around that number. In today's video, we return to my favorite carb, and dive into Japan's ongoing rice price crisis.
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