JAPAN’S average monthly rice consumption per person fell 6.1 per cent to a seven-year low of 4,435 grammes in the year ended March 2026, reflecting consumers shifting away from the country’s staple food after supply shortages sparked a price surge in recent years, according to rice association data.
The figure was the lowest since fiscal 2018 when the average stood at 4,426 grammes, with the decline from the 4,722 grammes in fiscal 2024 equivalent to 4.4 bowls of rice, recent data by Rice Stable Supply Support Organization showed.
Among households, comprising 66 per cent of the total, consumption fell 8.2 per cent to 2,929 grammes. The latest results show there is no sign of an end to the downtrend in rice consumption seen in the past decade.
Rice prices began surging around summer in 2024 after extreme summer heat reduced the previous season’s harvest, with the average price spiking to over 4,000 yen ($26) per five kilogrammes from around 2,000 yen before the supply shortages.
Kyodo
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