Japan's stockpiled rice, created to prevent food shortages during disasters, faces scrutiny as a recent demand for release rises due to fears of a rice shortage.
In mid-February 2025, visiting the suburbs of Saitama Prefecture reveals a large gray building resembling a gymnasium, which houses several warehouses filled with stockpiled rice. Prompted by the rice crises of 1993, this national stockpile is meant to address significant crop failures occurring once every decade or prepare for emergencies like earthquakes. Ongoing management costs exceed 40 billion yen annually, and the rice is stored across about 300 locations in Japan.
During the summer of 2024, Japan's stockpiled rice gained attention amidst a 'Reiwa Rice Crisis,' characterized by rice shortages in supermarkets due to poor harvests and panic buying triggered by alerts of potential massive earthquakes. As public concern rose regarding food security, calls to release the government-held rice stockpile became increasingly vocal. Normally, the locations of these stockpiles are kept secret for security reasons, but permission for media access was granted under conditions of anonymity regarding storage details.
However, officials from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, reiterated that the situation would stabilize with the arrival of the new rice harvest, emphasizing confidence in the market's return to normalcy. The release of stockpiled rice is seen as a necessary measure to alleviate concerns, as the public's reliance on this reserve has sparked heated discussions about Japan's preparedness for agricultural disasters and the importance of food security in crisis situations.
