November 12, 2025

The Japan Family Famers Movement (Nouminren) on November 11 submitted to Miyaura Koji, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Secretariat, a written request demanding government policy to secure a proper stockpile of rice and to increase rice production.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councillors Iwabuchi Tomo joined in this action.

Nouminren in its document pointed out that as the government has released stockpiled rice to tackle soaring rice prices, the amount of the stockpile decreased to 300,000 tons, which is insufficient as emergency reserves. It demanded that the government revise its policy and increase rice production in order to secure a sufficient stockpile of rice. It also demanded that the government implement measures to guarantee the producer’s price and compensate farm incomes.

Furthermore, Nouminren urged the government to take measures to stabilize the supply and demand of rice and its market price, and provide support for the general public struggling with surging rice prices.

Nouminren President Hasegawa Toshiro criticized the Takaichi government policy of having rice farmers determine whether to produce more or not based on demand, and said that the government should be responsible for the supply and price of rice. Citing that the government this year suspended rice purchases to stockpile for emergencies, Hasegawa said, “In the event of a major disaster, the current stockpile would be insufficient to meet demand.”

Nouminren official Yukawa Yoshiro referred to Agriculture Minister Suzuki Norikaze’s remark that the 2025 harvest of rice is bigger than the previous year, and said that a bigger harvest without securing a proper emergency stockpile is meaningless. Yukawa demanded government spending and measures aimed at ensuring an increase in rice production.