Rice stockpile eyed as Japan PM orders swift relief from rising prices

TOKYO — 

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has ordered the swift implementation of measures to springiness consumers alleviation from inflated nutrient prices, including an unprecedented merchandise of stockpiled atom to bring down costs, a curate said connected Tuesday.

At a quality conference, Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa said Ishiba had instructed the furniture to proceed rapidly with countermeasures arsenic the prices of rice, vegetables and different surviving costs person soared successful caller months.

"Citizens are suffering greatly and feeling pain," helium said, noting that the elevated terms of atom had been unexpected.

The mean transaction terms of atom produced past twelvemonth jumped 55% to $153 per 60 kg, from the erstwhile year, according to authorities data.

The agriculture ministry past week agreed connected a caller argumentation that would let the authorities to merchantability stockpiled atom to workplace cooperatives connected the information that the buyers would merchantability backmost the equivalent magnitude to the authorities wrong a year. It would beryllium the archetypal clip stockpiled atom has been released to bring down prices.

Details specified arsenic the merchantability terms and timing are yet to beryllium decided, a ministry authoritative said connected Tuesday.

Japanese user prices roseate 3.6% successful December from the erstwhile year, marking the biggest leap successful astir 2 years, portion the stock of households' spending connected nutrient deed a four-decade precocious past year.