In Japan, they learned about the government's inclusion of rice coupons in the package of economic measures

The Japanese government has decided to include rice cards in measures aimed at supporting the economy. This was reported on November 8 by the Kyodo news agency, citing a government official.

It is specified that the card system will be developed in the near future. The introduction of this initiative, proposed late last month by 43-year-old Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki, is driven by rising rice prices.

"The government has decided to include the use of "Okome tickets" (the name of coupons. — Ed.) in comprehensive economic measures. <...> The average price of rice in retail stores is more than 4 thousand yen (about 2.1 thousand rubles. The burden on the generation raising children, who spend a lot of money, and the elderly, who live in retirement and have low incomes, is increasing," the article says.

It also notes that some authorities have managed to purchase the cards and have already started distributing them, but this fact has not ruled out the high transportation and administrative costs for this project, which may be one and a half times the cost of rice itself.

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On August 8, Bloomberg reported on the impending rice harvest in Japan due to drought. In regions such as Tohoku and Hokuriku, the lowest rainfall in almost 80 years fell in July, while record temperatures were recorded there. This, as explained in the article, could lead to an increase in prices, which were already about 50% higher than the cost of rice in 2024.

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