TOKYO: Rice prices in Japan soared 99.2 per cent in June year-on-year, official data showed Friday (Jul 18), piling further pressure on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of elections this weekend. Public support for Ishiba's administration has

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/44265100

Public support for Ishiba’s administration has tumbled to its lowest level since he took office in October, partly because of frustration over the cost of living.

  • Landless2029@lemmy.worldEnglish
    151·
    1 day ago

    I don’t know much about what’s going on…

    But I assume it’s not a good idea to fuck with the Japanese people’s accessibility to rice.

    • Riddick3001@lemmy.worldEnglish
      13·
      1 day ago

      don’t know much about what’s going on…

      According to Japan Times, it started with a failed crop ( they crop only once a year), higher demand and supposedly the Japanese Gvement has loosened their rice reserve to lower the prices, but it still needs to reach the market.

      Also, alternatively this link explains its due to the rice acreage reduction policy by the Abe Admin.

    • marcos@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      1 day ago

      A long time ago the Japanese government decided that the entire country producing only one kind of food is bonkers, and started forcing farmers to diversify.

      Jump to a handful of decades later, and the diversification effort was kept every ear, with people complaining that they can’t keep it forever, and the government claiming that it never caused any problem. Repeat that again and again, and well, finally it has caused some problem.