TOKYO: The Japanese government wants farmers to grow more rice, Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru announced Tuesday, departing from decades of trying to diversify crops after the grain’s prices doubled this year.

“In revising the rice field policy for the 2027 fiscal year, rather than saying ‘Don’t grow rice,’ we will shift to supporting farmers… to take a positive approach to increasing production,” Ishiba told a ministerial meeting.

The government will support more large-scale rice farming and help farmers access new technology, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Shortages of the grain caused by a supply chain snarl-up saw prices almost double in a year.

To help ease the pain for consumers and restaurants, the government started tapping emergency stockpiles in March, having only previously done so during disasters.

Ishiba’s ratings have plummeted in part over anger at the soaring rice prices, and voters deprived his Liberal Democratic Party of both upper and lower house majorities in recent elections.

The government adopted policies to reduce rice farming in favour of other crops in 1971 after changes in the Japanese diet saw falling demand.

Under that push, the amount of land used for rice paddies — not including for livestock feed — plunged below 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres) in 2024, from a peak of 3.3 million hectares in 1960.

While the policy was officially abolished in 2018, incentives continued to steer farmers towards other commodities, like soybeans.

AFP