Japanese Willing to Pay More for Preferred Rice Despite Soaring Prices

Short Supply

Despite the Japanese government’s efforts to release stockpiles, the regular rice available in supermarkets remains highly priced and in short supply.

A nationwide survey by major cooking appliance manufacturer Tiger Corporation revealed that only 33.9% of respondents said that they could buy rice easily, while 66.1% were experiencing difficulty purchasing this staple food. The survey targeted 648 people, and was conducted from late May to early June.

When asked if they “want to eat delicious rice even if it’s expensive,” 25.0% answered “definitely” and a further 39.7% said “to some extent,” indicating that more than 60% were particular about having good-tasting rice.

According to a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries survey, the price of rice at supermarkets and other retailers has doubled in the past year. However, the total percentage of respondents still buying their same preferred brand, whether it be “happily” or “reluctantly,” accounted for 46.8%.

The results also showed that around 70% of respondents had been alternating rice with other staple foods, with the most common being “noodles” (52.8%) and “bread” (42.7%).

Data Sources

• Rice survey (Japanese) by Tiger Corporation.

This article has been republished from the Nippon.