Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 11, Japanese media reported on the 10th that against the backdrop of consecutive highs of rice prices, rice unexpectedly became a popular gift for Mother's Day in Japan. Many consumers say that compared with common flowers and cakes, rice is more practical and is a good choice for mothers.

　　The latest statistics released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan show that the average price of a bag of 5 kilograms of rice in the Japanese market is 4,233 yen (about 211 yuan), setting a new high for 17 consecutive weeks. This price is more than twice the same period last year, and is the highest level since the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries began to count this data.

　　On July 26, 2024, a man passed the shelves of rice placed (mobile phone photos) in a supermarket chain in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhong Ya
　　As rice prices continue to rise, more and more consumers choose to use rice as a Mother's Day gift. A shop selling gift rice in Nishimiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan said that on the eve of Mother's Day this year, the number of customers who came to buy rice to give to their mothers surged, with sales of about twice the same period last year.

　　In some shopping malls and shopping websites, rice is also on the list of "Mother's Day Recommended Gifts", with sales increasing compared with previous years. Staff at an Osaka mall said giving rice on Mother's Day is the new trend this year, which shows that consumers are beginning to value the practicality of gifts.

　　Faced with the rising rice prices, the Japanese government has auctioned three batches of reserve rice since March, but the rising trend of rice prices has not been effectively curbed. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on the 8th that government departments should take countermeasures with a "sense of speed and crisis" so that people can buy affordable rice.

　　Since the summer of 2024, due to factors such as extreme high temperatures, the price of rice has continued to rise. In August last year, the meteorological department issued a warning that the possibility of a major earthquake in the South China Sea trough in the eastern Pacific Ocean increased, causing people to hoard rice, and Japan once experienced a "rice waste". With the launch of new rice, the "rice shortage" has eased, but the rice prices are still high. (Zhang Jing)

[Editor in charge: Yu Shenfang and Yang Yang]