Japanese Rice Prices Soar, Sales of Taiwanese Rice Surge Sixfold... What's Behind Taiwan's Success?

Sales of Taiwanese Rice in Japan Surge Sixfold

As rice prices have soared to unprecedented levels, the Japanese government has released "half-price reserve rice" through private contracts, resulting in a sixfold surge in sales of Taiwanese rice in Japan.

According to Taiwanese media such as China Times on June 12, Minister of Agriculture Chen Junji stated during a government inquiry at the Legislative Yuan the previous day, citing Ministry of Agriculture statistics, that exports of Taiwanese rice to Japan from January to May this year reached 7,759 tons, a sixfold increase compared to the same period last year. He also noted that this is about twice the total annual export volume to Japan last year (3,890 tons). He predicted that this year’s rice exports to Japan would exceed 10,000 tons for the first time since 2020.

Japanese reserve rice displayed at Ito Yokado grocery store, a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings in Tokyo, Japan. Photo to aid article understanding. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News.

Regarding questions about Taiwan’s rice export strategy, Minister Chen explained that the current increase in exports to Japan is not a short-term measure due to Japan’s rice shortage. Instead, Taiwan is working to establish a robust supply chain in overseas markets such as North America, Southeast Asia, and Australia by building up the Taiwanese rice brand.

Addressing concerns that Japanese consumers may return to domestic rice once the domestic rice price surge subsides, Minister Chen stated that Taiwan could maintain a certain level of market share through brand marketing in cooperation with local Japanese distribution networks and by targeting specific markets within Japan.

Taiwanese rice is also listed on the Japanese rice purchasing site. Weibo.

Taiwanese media reported that both Taiwanese and Japanese rice are of the Japonica variety, known for their sticky texture, which has contributed to the popularity of Taiwanese rice sold in small packages in Japan.

Previously, the Asahi Shimbun reported on June 3 that domestic rice prices in Japan had soared, leading to a sharp increase in rice imports. An analysis of Ministry of Finance trade statistics showed that rice imports to Japan in April alone totaled 6,838 tons, which is 2.3 times the annual import volume for fiscal year 2024 (April 2024 to March 2025), which stands at 3,011 tons.