Japan: High Domestic Rice Prices Drive Record Private Sector Imports in 2025

Japan's private-sector rice imports reached 96,834 metric tons (MT) in 2025-a 95-fold increase from 2024 and the highest level since the current import system began in 1999. Imports of rice into Japan are constrained by quantitative limits under its state trading system and high tariffs imposed on private imports. Soaring domestic prices made imported rice price-competitive even with tariffs. The United States supplied 75,638 MT, representing 78 percent of total private imports. Increase in supply and sluggish consumption may soften demand for rice imports in 2026.