362
submitted 1 week ago by schizoidman@lemm.ee to c/world@lemmy.world
all 48 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 181 points 1 week ago

Clarification: They are queuing for cheap rice.

I can go to any supermarket in my city and buy rice. I just have to be willing to pay four times what I’m used to for it. It is getting harder to find supermarkets still selling 10kg bags because those things are approaching ¥10,000.

Japan has had a more severe shortage of potato chips than this.

[-] truthfultemporarily@feddit.org 60 points 1 week ago
[-] RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works 50 points 1 week ago

Or 69 freedom buckaroos for 22 pounds of rice

[-] Aviandelight@mander.xyz 19 points 1 week ago

That's insane to think about. I usually buy a 20 lb bag of Thai Jasmine rice for a little over $20 her in the US. I think I would seriously break down and cry if I had to pay almost $70.

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 17 points 1 week ago

Did I mention they have massive tariffs on foreign rice specifically so it doesn't outcompete more expensive Japanese rice?

[-] Ledericas@lemm.ee 2 points 6 days ago

so basiclaly they shot themselves in the foot. much with cheaper EVs,.

[-] Zier@fedia.io 4 points 1 week ago

I get Calrose Rice from Costco $14.00/25 lbs.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 3 points 1 week ago

1kg bags in Germany cost 2.50 Euro for Jasmin, 3 for Basmati. One Euro for cheap parboiled. All discounter store brand. Risotto 2 Euro, that stuff is grown in Italy.

...10kg prices are practically identical, or better put if you shop at a place than sells 10kg bags suddenly the 1kg bags are expensive.

[-] Witchfire@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Equivalent to 48 toonies for those of us up in cobra chicken land

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

cobra chicken

I've never heard them called that before, but it's so perfect. I call them little dinosaurs, because if you piss one off, it becomes very clear that they are descended from terrifying ancient beasts.

[-] anon6789@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Cobra chicken is a new one to me! Very fitting. 🤣

[-] Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 week ago

Isn't it not just cheap rice, but cheap Japanese rice? People in Asia are very particular about rice. They should be, rice from Japan, China, Cambodia, Taiwan, etc. all have a different taste. Nationalism plays in to it, but they are different. I think rice might be the ultimate Terroir crop.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 7 points 1 week ago

Not just Asia, Italians and Spaniards are also quite particular about rice.

[-] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 9 points 1 week ago

Look, I'm not particular about rice, but if I see long rice on the risotto, what I'll do isn't even covered in the Geneva conventions.

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 7 points 1 week ago

...that's exactly what I mean. All the broken bits and pieces get shipped to Germany to make Milchreis because it really doesn't matter what the grains look like if you're soaking them to smithereens anyway. Into pudding, that is. Which you should totally try on a cold day: Dump into sweetened milk (vanilla if you want), quick boil, 30-40 minutes of soaking at falling/low heat, add cinnamon, maybe some coarse raw sugar for texture variation, eat as-is or with apple sauce.

Only got Jasmin or such at home and still crave the stuff? Well, prepare it. Nothing's stopping you.

[-] scarabic@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

for cheap rice

But isn’t this just the definition of a shortage? The thing becomes scarce and so what IS available becomes incredibly expensive? I don’t see the differentiation you are trying to make. Wild price inflation happens when there is in fact not enough of the thing to go around.

[-] djmikeale@lemm.ee 18 points 1 week ago

That is wild! In Denmark I buy rice for 15 kr (~2€) / kg. Granted, it's probably nowhere near the quality of Japanese rice. But still, what a price difference.

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 24 points 1 week ago

Setting aside the rice shortage, the Japanese government has laws in place to keep rice prices high for... I have no idea why. A big part of the shortage is that blowing up in their faces.

[-] arcterus 38 points 1 week ago

I'm guessing it's to protect the rice farmers, since if the price decreases enough, they'll have to either produce other crops or do something else entirely. They're already having enough problems with people moving to cities, so I doubt they want to create even more incentive.

[-] KMAMURI@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

Farms in Japan are likely disappearing as they are elsewhere. Attempting to protect domestic supply isn't a bad idea. Doing it in a way that is not detrimental to the population would probably be helpful.

[-] nexguy@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

That's 22lbs for $69. Yikes

[-] Fleur_@aussie.zone 6 points 1 week ago

Oh so it's only poor people who are struggling. Not to worry then. Back to it lads.

[-] ramble81@lemm.ee 141 points 1 week ago

Japan’s long-standing efforts to protect domestic farmers from outside competition, including limiting imports of foreign rice

Here’s the why in case anyone is wondering. It’s not a global issue.

Was gonna say… Every local store near me has literal pallets of rice available.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 1 points 6 days ago

Of course part of that is the fact that Western diets don't really involved anywhere near the quantity that the Japanese consume it at.

After all rice pudding was invented to try and use rice up, because no one was eating it.

[-] HeyJoe@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

Maybe they should have had a plan B for situations like this. It's great to take care of your own, but this is a perfect example as to why you can't put all your eggs into one basket.

[-] fodor@lemmy.zip 3 points 6 days ago

They do, of course. There's plenty of rice of other kinds.

[-] WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca 54 points 1 week ago

Self-inflicted crisis

[-] Lyra_Lycan 12 points 1 week ago

Omg look at their basket on wheels

[-] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 11 points 1 week ago

AKA shopping trolleys

[-] card797@champserver.net 9 points 1 week ago

Protectionism. Louisiana makes plenty of rice.

[-] fireweed@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

Rice grown in former plantation states tends to be very high in arsenic, a holdover from the cotton-growing days.

For US-grown rice, my understanding is that California-grown is much safer to consume.

[-] card797@champserver.net 2 points 5 days ago

So that's why we always rinse the rice. Interesting. Will have to get some Cali rice.

[-] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

Yeah, but that's all for local gumbo production, oh and Zataran's.

/s

[-] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Capitalism everywhere is failing

[-] silicon_reverie@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

You can't call it free market capitalism when you're literally restricting who can and can not import rice and then getting upset at yourself for the self-inflicted starvation. This isn't capitalism, it's the very definition of Protectionism, and yes: closed-matket protectionists are failing everywhere, from Brexiteers to MAGA morons, to closed-market rice farmers.

This isn't to say that unfettered Capitalism is the answer, or that all protectionist policies are bad. Any policy taken to the extreme is guilty of the real sin: not learning from the strengths and weaknesses of the systems they rail against and using them to build a more robust and functional middle ground.

[-] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Capitalism ≠ Free Market

Capitalism, by definition, is the pursuit and hoarding of wealth at all costs. This is ideologically opposed to the concept of a free market, because it will inevitably lead to captured markets and trusts.

While I agree that this particular scenario is unrelated to Capitalism as it is a matter of national protectionism, I’m simply taking umbrage with using “free market” and “capitalism” in a sentence together. Capitalism will always ultimately kill a free market.

[-] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I guess you are right. It is the local farmers who wants to profit from shortage.

[-] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I'm still flabbergasted by everyone still trying to hold onto a economic system designed by elites. Yall would be the 1760s worker arguing for just a few tweeks to a system not ment for the vast majority of people. Or you're just part of the in group that benefits you more than others. Capitalism has reached its logical conclusion just like every form that came before. The sooner we accept and realize it the better.

[-] xep@fedia.io 2 points 1 week ago

I'm sorry he put the words "free market" into your mouth when there was none of that in your post. FWIW, Japan would be worse off if cheap rice flooded the market and eradicated domestic rice production.

[-] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Free market just means little fish can't compete. And eventually one company will own everything. Then they'll come back with, trade deals and regulations. But then they don't realize that's compromise for a system not ment for them ! I don't have all the answers on what a new non capitalist system would look like, but it doesn't automatically mean socialism/communism.

[-] besmtt@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago
this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2025
362 points (100.0% liked)

World News

47471 readers
2495 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS