Japan Rice Price: 5 kg Bag Chart and Drivers

The Japan rice price at supermarkets averaged ¥2,971 for a 5 kg bag in the week of 7 to 13 September 2026, according to the agriculture ministry’s survey of about 1,000 stores, as reported by Nippon.com in September 2026. That is about ¥594 per kilogram. It is down from a record ¥4,416 in the first week of January 2026, but still well above the level before the 2024 shortage.

This page tracks the price level only: a dated chart of the weekly average, the gap between brand and blended rice, how the different store surveys compare, and a calculator that shows when imported rice can compete after Japan’s tariff. For the causes of the rise, see our separate guide to the reasons behind it; for wider farm data, see our Japan agriculture data page.

Japan rice price at a glance

All figures below are average shelf prices from weekly surveys of supermarkets. They are not list prices, not auction results and not farmgate prices. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) publishes the figures each week, usually on a Friday, on its weekly retail price survey page (in Japanese). News agency Jiji Press reports them in English.

Sources: Jiji Press reports of the MAFF survey, published by Nippon.com and Adnkronos on the dates shown. The survey began in March 2022.

How the weekly average moved

The 1,000-store average stayed above ¥4,000 for most of the months from May 2025 to February 2026. Jiji reported a record of ¥4,316 for the week ended 9 November 2025, when newly harvested rice fully reached the market. The peak came in the first week of January 2026 at ¥4,416.

Chart

Average supermarket rice price in Japan

Yen per 5 kg bag, MAFF survey of about 1,000 supermarkets, selected weeks (uneven spacing)

From mid-February the average fell almost every week. It dropped under ¥4,000 in mid-March, and under ¥3,000 in September 2026. Each step down came as shops sold more of the large 2025 crop and as stocks built up.

Why prices peaked late

A bigger harvest did not bring prices down at first. The USDA attaché in Tokyo explains in its Grain and Feed Annual for Japan (2026) that farmgate prices for the 2025 crop rose 30 to 70 percent, as distributors and country elevators competed for supply. Retail prices then hit a record in November 2025.

The same report says the government’s sale of reserve rice brought a short price dip from June to August 2025. Prices rose again in September 2025 once less of that cheap rice reached the shelves.

Why prices fell

High prices pushed shoppers toward bread, pasta and noodles. MAFF reported that private rice stocks in January 2026 were 920,000 tonnes (brown rice basis) higher than a year earlier, according to the USDA report. Rising stocks put pressure on prices, and the MAFF supermarket average fell from mid-February 2026 to below ¥3,000 by September.

▶ How satellite NDVI maps show crop stress before it is visible in the field. · 4:09

Price per kilogram and in US dollars

Most readers outside Japan think in price per kilogram or per pound. Divide the 5 kg bag price by five. At ¥2,971 a bag, rice in Japanese supermarkets cost about ¥594 per kg in mid-September 2026. At the January 2026 peak of ¥4,416 it was about ¥883 per kg.

The dollar value depends on the exchange rate on the day you check, so use the calculator below with today’s rate. As a rough example only, at ¥150 to the US dollar a ¥2,971 bag works out to about $19.80, or about $1.80 per pound.

For comparison, US farmers sell rough rice by the hundredweight, not by the retail bag. The USDA September 2026 WASDE report projects the 2026/27 US all-rice season-average farm price at $14.90 per cwt. That is a farm price for unmilled rice, so it is not directly comparable with a Tokyo shelf price.

Brand rice and blended rice

The survey splits sales into “brand” rice, a single named variety such as Koshihikari, and “blended” rice, a mix of varieties or crop years. Blended rice includes much of the government reserve rice that was sold in 2025. Blends sell for less, so the overall average moves when the mix of what shoppers buy changes.

In the week to 9 November 2025, brand rice averaged ¥4,573 and blends ¥3,732, a gap of ¥841. By 7 to 13 September 2026, brand rice had fallen to ¥2,988 and blends to ¥2,866. The gap had shrunk to ¥122. Brand rice made up 85 percent of sales in that September week, up from 69 percent in the November 2025 week.

So a shopper who buys only brand rice saw a larger fall in price than the headline average suggests.

Chart

Brand vs blended rice price

Yen per 5 kg bag, MAFF 1,000-supermarket survey

Why surveys give different prices

Several surveys run at the same time, and they do not agree. Jiji reported three numbers for the week to 9 November 2025:

• About 1,000 supermarkets (the headline figure): ¥4,316.
• About 6,000 retailers including drugstores: ¥4,444.
• About 1,200 supermarkets: ¥3,768.

The 1,000-store figure comes from point-of-sale data provider KSP-SP. When you see a Japan rice price in the news, check which survey it uses and which week it covers. The gap between surveys in the same week can be several hundred yen.

Other prices you may see

• Farmgate or contract prices: what collectors such as JA pay farmers. These moved first in 2025 and are not shelf prices.
• Restaurant and online prices: often higher and not part of the survey.
• Export prices: Japanese rice sold abroad, for example in the US or Hong Kong, carries freight and retail margins.

Chart

Three surveys, one week

Average rice price, yen per 5 kg, week to 9 November 2025

Imports and the tariff on rice

High prices made foreign rice worth buying even after Japan’s tariff. The USDA attaché reports that imports outside the quota pay ¥341 per kilogram. Private imports outside the quota were usually about 800 tonnes a year. They jumped from 852 tonnes in 2023/24 to 90,494 tonnes in 2024/25. The United States supplied 79 percent of those private imports.

Chart

Japan rice imports

Thousand tonnes, milled basis, marketing years; 2025/26 and 2026/27 are USDA forecasts

Japan also buys a minimum of 682,000 tonnes a year under its WTO quota (called “minimum access” rice). Of this, up to 100,000 tonnes may be sold as table rice through tenders. Japan used all 100,000 tonnes in the 2024 and 2025 Japanese fiscal years, and the 7,200-tonne quota for Australian rice under the CPTPP in fiscal 2025.

Total imports reached 839,023 tonnes in 2024/25. USDA forecasts 750,000 tonnes for 2025/26 and 700,000 tonnes for 2026/27, as cheaper domestic rice makes private imports less attractive.

Does imported rice beat the local price?

The calculator below compares a Japanese shelf price with the landed cost of rice imported outside the quota. Enter your own figures. The tariff is set at ¥341 per kg as reported by USDA; change it if the rule changes. This is a rough screen, not trade advice: check current customs rules and get professional advice before you import.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

What the price level means for rice growers

For farmers, the retail price matters through the price their buyer pays. USDA reports that high prices in 2025 led farmers to plant more table rice and less feed rice. With stocks rising and prices falling, it expects Japan’s rice area to fall 0.8 percent to 1.46 million hectares in 2026/27, and output to fall 1.5 percent to 7.38 million tonnes (milled basis), assuming normal weather.

Weather is still a large risk. USDA notes that the summer of 2025 was the hottest in Japan since records began in 1898. Even so, MAFF graded about 76 percent of the 2025 crop as first class, against only 61 percent for the heat-hit 2023 crop.

Growers in the US, Australia and Europe who sell medium-grain or Japonica rice to Japan should watch two numbers: the weekly Japanese shelf average and Japan’s private stock level. Both turned in early 2026, and both will shape how much foreign rice Japanese buyers want.

Satellite crop monitoring can help a grower see crop stress and uneven growth in paddies during a hot summer. Farmonaut offers this through the Farmonaut Satellite + AI Farm Monitoring System, but it does not forecast market prices.

▶ How growers estimate rice, wheat and lentil production with satellite imagery and AI. · 16:33

Japan rice prices against world food prices

Japan’s rice price moved mostly for domestic reasons, not because world rice became scarce. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 136.0 points in September 2026, up 1.5 percent from August. The FAO also tracks export rice prices in its monthly Rice Price Update.

The World Bank commodity price data for September 2026 showed food prices up 3.8 percent in a month, with energy up much more. Higher fuel and fertilizer costs can feed into farm costs over time. They do not explain the 2024 to 2026 swings in Japanese shelf prices, which followed stocks, harvests and reserve sales.

▶ A tutorial on pulling current, historical and forecast weather data through the Farmonaut API. · 4:30

How we checked the numbers

Every weekly price on this page comes from a Jiji Press report of the MAFF survey of about 1,000 supermarkets, with the week stated. Import, stock and acreage figures come from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report from Tokyo. We did not use undated figures, and we removed an older table that converted yen to other currencies with no stated rate. We will update the chart as new weeks are published.

Related pages on our site: Japan farming methods, large farm admin app, traceability, product traceability, fleet management, carbon footprinting, crop loan and insurance, weather API docs and our apps.

FAQ

What is the current rice price in Japan?

The latest MAFF figure we found is ¥2,971 for a 5 kg bag, the average at about 1,000 supermarkets in the week of 7 to 13 September 2026. Prices change weekly, so check the date of any figure you read.

What is the price of rice per kg in Japan?

About ¥594 per kg in mid-September 2026, from the 5 kg bag average. Brand rice was slightly higher at about ¥598 per kg, and blended rice about ¥573 per kg.

What was the highest rice price in Japan?

The highest weekly average in the MAFF survey, which began in March 2022, was ¥4,416 per 5 kg bag in the week ended 4 January 2026.

Why did the price of rice in Japan fall?

A larger 2025 harvest reached shops, shoppers bought less rice at high prices, and private stocks rose. USDA reports stocks in January 2026 were 920,000 tonnes higher than a year earlier.

Is imported rice cheaper in Japan?

It can be. Imports outside the quota pay ¥341 per kg, so they only compete when Japanese prices are high. Private imports rose sharply in 2024/25 and USDA expects them to fall as domestic prices ease.

Where can I find the official weekly rice price?

MAFF posts the weekly supermarket survey on its website each week, usually on Friday, in Japanese. Jiji Press and Nippon.com often report it in English.