The Lament of the White Ears of Rice: Memories of the 2022 Summer Heat Wave and Rice Shortages

The Lament of the White Ears of Rice: Memories of the 2022 Summer Heat Wave and Rice Shortages

In 2023, the heat wave across Japan had a serious impact on rice cultivation. In particular, the harvest of early-season rice in Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures dropped 15% from the previous year, and the total national harvest dropped significantly from 6 million tons to 5.1 million tons. The price of Koshihikari rice from Niigata soared by about 47% from 17,000 yen to 25,000 yen per bale. The quality of sake rice "Dewa Sanzu" from the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture declined markedly, with approximately 30% of the rice harvested being white unripe grains. Major trading companies bought up about 200,000 tons, and the government's delay in releasing 10,000 tons of stockpiled rice caused market confusion. Households responded to the rice shortage by increasing demand for frozen preserved rice and rice-flour bread by about 40% over the previous year. In response to this situation, the government has introduced a new subsidy system starting in FY2024 to provide assistanc
e to affected areas. This is an example of how climate change has once again highlighted the importance of food security.