Disaster threats trigger panic buying for rice amid decreasing supply in Japan

The Japanese government issued a warning on Tuesday, advising people to remain calm and refrain from panic buying rice in supermarkets. Japan is experiencing an unprecedented decline in the rice supply, which government officials believe is partially due to a tourism boom.

What caused it: Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Tetsushi Sakamoto said that the panic buying was triggered by a series of events, including a government warning in early August about a potential “megaquake” that could happen within the next 30 years, recent typhoons and the week-long Obon festival, which was held from Aug. 13 to Aug. 16. Some supermarkets are limiting consumers to one bag of rice a day per family.
End of shortage: Sakamoto reassured people that the shortage will be over soon, likely in September when the newly harvested rice will be distributed. “We expect the rice shortage to gradually improve going forward. We ask consumers to act calmly and purchase only the amount of rice they need,” he said. A farmer in Aomori prefecture echoed the same sentiment, telling Kyodo News, “High temperatures are causing rice to grow faster, but it’s going well. There was no impact from typhoons. There’s no need to panic.”

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