Japan Mulls Releasing Stockpiled Rice for Sake, Miso

   Tokyo, June 4 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is considering releasing stockpiled rice for processing into products such as sake and miso, agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Wednesday.
   "Rice is not just for staple food," Koizumi told reporters at the agriculture ministry in Tokyo.
   Sake brewers are concerned about a shortage of rice for use as an ingredient amid rising prices and a shift to production for consumption as staple food.
   The ministry will conduct a hearing with sake industry officials as early as next week to decide on the timing and amount of the release.
   The government had released some 310,000 tons of stockpiled rice through auctions by April. Under discretionary contracts, it plans to release about 220,000 tons to major retailers and about 80,000 tons to smaller ones. The releases will reduce the government's stockpile to some 300,000 tons.

(2025/06/04-15:16)