Japan’s 2025 rice harvest seen rising to 7.48 million tons
Japan’s 2025 rice harvest is projected at 7.48 million tons, a nine-year high and 10% above last year, surpassing 7 million tons for the first time since 2022. With production exceeding expected demand of 6.97–7.11 million tons, the country may face a supply surplus, though retail prices’ response remains uncertain.
Japan’s 2025 staple rice harvest is forecast to reach a nine-year high of 7.48 million tons, up 10% from the previous year, the agriculture ministry has said.
The harvest amount is expected to exceed 7 million tons for the first time since 2022, the ministry added Friday.
This year’s crop estimate was made from the amount of rice harvested and the number of preharvest rice ears counted as of Sept. 25, when rice cropping was 60% finished in the country.
Last month, the ministry projected that 2025 brown rice production would amount to 7.28 million to 7.45 million tons while new crop demand would total 6.97 million to 7.11 million tons.
The latest harvest estimate suggests the possibility of the rice supply excess expanding further. However, it remains to be seen whether retail rice prices, which have surged along with agricultural cooperatives’ advance payments to producers, will turn lower, experts said.
The ministry also showed a 2025 crop projection focusing on sieving to select larger grains, a common practice for rice farmers, saying the “sieve opening-based” yield would stand at 7.15 million tons, up 634,000 tons from the year before.
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Source : Japan Times
