Japan's private-sector rice stocks totaled 1.56 million metric tons at the end of June, the lowest since records began in 1999, a preliminary agriculture ministry report shows.
The rice stocks shrank by 410,000 metric tons from a year before, reflecting sluggish rice production last year due to scorching heat, a surge in demand from foreign tourists and an increase in consumption as rice prices rose more slowly than those of bread and noodles.
The latest figure, released Tuesday, was 210,000 metric tons lower than the 1.77 million metric tons estimated in March.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.