Rice production volume in Japan 2013-2022

In 2022, the production volume of rice in the Japanese agricultural sector amounted to around 7.27 million tons. Next to vegetable production, rice has the second-highest production output of agricultural produce in Japan.

Rice in food and beverage production

Japanese rice, sometimes referred to as sushi rice outside of Japan, is known for its sticky texture when cooked. It is commonly used in traditional dishes as well as popular convenience food items like bento lunchboxes and onigiri rice balls. Apart from its consumption in everyday meals, rice is also used in the production of popular snack foods such as rice crackers, which are among the most-produced confectionary items in Japan, as well as for the production of alcoholic beverages such as Japanese rice wine, commonly known as sake.  

Rice as an economic factor

Japan is among the countries with the highest rice consumption worldwide. Rice is a staple food in Japan with a self-sufficiency ratio of continuously to 99 percent during the past decade. Thus, indicating that the domestic rice demand was almost completely covered by the rice production industry in the country. With the Japanese government enforcing high tariffs on rice imports from abroad, the majority of local production output is also used for domestic disposal. However, export of domestically produced rice for commercial use has been rising throughout the past years in both volume and value, most recently leading to an export value of over 4.6 billion Japanese yen.