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Tag - food

 
 

FOOD

The nonpartisan National Council discusses a consumption tax reduction in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2026
Takaichi acknowledges proposed cut of consumption tax on food to 1%
The plan has divided party members and raised concerns about its impact on financial markets.
The national average price of a packet of 10 eggs stood at ?309, matching the highest level marked in March and May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 17, 2026
Prices of chicken and eggs in Japan hit record highs
The national average price of chicken rose has risen to ?155 per 100 grams while that of a packet of 10 eggs is now at ?309.
Cartons of Meiji milk. Meiji and five other ice cream makers are suspected of forming a price-fixing cartel.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 16, 2026
Japan¡¯s FTC raids six ice cream makers over allegedly creating price cartel
The companies raising suggested retail prices may have affected wholesale prices and raised costs for consumers.
At least five people, including a child in serious condition, fell ill after eating ¡°high rollers¡± deli wraps sold a Costco store in Nagoya, according to media reports.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2026
Five fall ill from E. coli outbreak at Nagoya Costco store
One of them, a boy under the age of 10, remains in serious condition.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party pledged during February¡¯s general election campaign to speed up discussions on suspending the tax on food for two years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 16, 2026
LDP still considering cutting sales tax to zero for food
The ruling party pledged during February¡¯s general election campaign to speed up discussions on suspending the tax on food for two years with a view to going ahead with it.
Urea, ammonium phosphate, and potassium chloride ¡ª raw materials for chemical fertilizers ¡ª are almost entirely imported in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2026
Fertilizer prices rise in Japan due to Strait of Hormuz squeeze
While shortages like those for naphtha have yet to emerge, warnings of an international shortage have been issued amid uncertainties in the Middle East.
A consumption tax cut on groceries is intended to help households struggling to make ends meet.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 12, 2026
Consumption tax cut on groceries could do more harm than good
It could lead to less confidence in Japan¡¯s fiscal state, a weaker yen, higher rates and slower economic growth.
Adelie penguins moving in a group
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2026
Penguins use group cues to find foraging grounds, Japan team finds
The findings ¡°will help us understand why social life evolved among animals and the impact of population decline,¡± an animal ecology expert said.
A worker in Tokyo collects used cooking oil from a Tempura restaurant in April to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2026
Japan steps up efforts on cooking oil in race for sustainable aviation fuel??
The world¡¯s fourth-biggest economy estimates it needs about 1.7 million kiloliters in 2030, and hopes to gain as much as it can domestically through used cooking oil.
Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 43-year-old man for obstructing Hama-Sushi¡¯s business operations after a ¡°rage-bait¡± social media video he posted went viral.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 4, 2026
Man arrested over video of him allegedly pouring detergent-like liquid on sushi
Yuta Shinnishi, 43, has admitted to the allegation and was quoted as saying he ¡°wanted to get more views¡± on social media.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a party leaders' debate at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on May 20. A pledge to cut the consumption tax on food products is quickly becoming a policy headache for the prime minister.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 4, 2026
Consumption tax cut is quickly turning into a headache for Takaichi
Translating the pledge from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s administration into policy has proven more complicated than many lawmakers anticipated.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo last month.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2026
Takaichi administration considering 1% tax on food from next April
A tax cut to 1% would require less time to update cash register systems and could be implemented sooner than her campaign pledge of zero percent.
Rising global temperatures, worsened by climate change, war, trade disruptions and a looming El Nino, are increasingly threatening global food production.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2026
The world¡¯s food supply is under a quadruple attack
Heat makes it much harder to effectively grow crops, raise livestock and harvest fish, as detailed in an extensive new United Nations climate change report.
Over the past several years, there has been a spate of viral videos featuring unhygienic pranks at conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, with such acts referred to in Japan as ¡°sushi terrorism.¡±
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2026
Sushi chain in Japan may consult police over video of man pouring liquid on sushi
The video, posted on TikTok on Wednesday, seems to show the uploader pouring liquid from a dish soap bottle onto sushi that had been delivered to him via a conveyor belt.
Some manufacturers are passing on increased costs for packaging materials and energy to consumers amid the uncertain situation in the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2026
Prices for over 1,000 food items in Japan set to rise in June
Seasoning accounted for the largest share of products set to see higher prices, followed by processed food.
The Japanese government's fiscal 2025 white paper on food, agriculture and rural areas noted that private-sector rice imports surged after retail prices of the grain in May 2025 roughly doubled from a year before.
JAPAN
May 29, 2026
Japan voices concern over rice imports in white paper
Private-sector rice imports experienced a sharp increase after retail prices roughly doubled year on year in May 2025.
Salmonella bacteria
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 27, 2026
Climate change fueling growth of antibiotic-resistant salmonella
New research suggests warming temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns could accelerate the spread of hard-to-treat infections.
Despite government efforts to lower the price of rice by tapping into the nation¡¯s emergency stockpile, the cost of Japan¡¯s staple grain remains at an all-time high.
JAPAN / Society
May 27, 2026
Rice consumption in fiscal 2025 the lowest in seven years
The drop coincided with last summer¡¯s ¡°Reiwa rice riots¡± when the staple disappeared from supermarket shelves and prices surged nationwide.
Farmers clean vegetables in South Omdurman, Sudan, on May, 21.
WORLD
May 26, 2026
Iran war poses new threat to harvests in hunger-stricken Sudan
Sudan is particularly vulnerable to the fallout from the Iran crisis as it relies on the Persian Gulf for more than half of its fertilizer needs, according to U.N. ?data.
Tokyo Central staff offer handroll sushi at its Emeryville outlet in California.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 25, 2026
Even at home, American shoppers are flocking to Japanese supermarkets
Aisles lined with signs written in kanji and hiragana transport shoppers doing their regular grocery shopping to Japan.

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN