What is the WTO [World Trade Organization] status of rice bought and sold by Japan?
Rice is protected in Japan. Thai, Chinese, American and Australian rice does get sold in Japan, but the amount that can be imported is limited. The Japanese consumers used to resist buying the foreign rice, believing it was inferior. But that stigma is going away and most consumers now are happy to pay less for foreign grown rice. Rice export countries like the U.S. and Australia are trying to break down the tariffs, but the Japanese farmers, like Sean’s mentor, say that without the protections rice farming will disappear within a generation. They might be right. As for exports of Japanese rice – forget about it. It’s way too expensive for anyone else to buy. Even the high-end Japanese grocery stores in California that cater to wealthy Japanese expats sell California rice. It tastes good and costs a fraction of the price. How much a part of the average Japanese diet would you say rice is? Most folks still eat rice two or three meals a day. Rice is the absolute core of the Japanese diet
