Key Facts
• Government rice stock sales began to meet demand for cheaper rice.
• Average rice price (June 23–29, 2025): ¥3,672 per 5kg, a 6-week decline.
• Farmers like Kazuto Sakaidani of Toyoshin Farm manage 100 hectares of rice fields.
• Sakaidani suggests ¥3,000–¥3,500 per 5kg as a sustainable price for farmers.
• Liberal Democratic Party’s Motomu Takizawa supports rice production increase and farmer income growth.
• Constitutional Democratic Party’s Tamami Fukushi proposes direct payment systems and support for new farmers.
• Sanseitō’s Tsutomu Katō advocates income compensation and rice coupons for consumers.
• Japanese Communist Party’s Yūko Ogino emphasizes price and income guarantees for stable rice supply.
• NHK Party’s Akira Sasaki calls for utilizing fallow fields and promoting large-scale farming.
Summary
The 2025 House of Councillors election in Aomori highlights candidates’ rice policy proposals. Amid falling rice prices, farmers like Kazuto Sakaidani stress the need for sustainable pricing. Candidates present diverse solutions: Motomu Takizawa (LDP) focuses on production and income growth, Tamami Fukushi (CDP) suggests direct payments and new farmer support, Tsutomu Katō (Sanseitō) proposes income compensation and consumer rice coupons, Yūko Ogino (JCP) emphasizes price and income guarantees, and Akira Sasaki (NHK Party) advocates for utilizing fallow fields and large-scale farming. These policies aim to balance consumer affordability and farmer sustainability.
