⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Japanese government's release of rice reserves into the market can curb the price surge in the short term, but factors such as speculation are likely to continue driving rice prices up in a long run, according to a Japanese professor. Rice, a staple of the nation's diet in Japan, has seen its prices soaring. To address the price hike, the Japanese government plans to release 210,000 tons of its rice reserves into the market, with the first release of 150,000 tons set to begin in mid-March. The measure may be helpful in the short term, but can not solve the underlying issues, said Kusumoto Junichiro, a professor of the Faculty of Law of Toyo University. "Even if we release 200,000 tons of the rice reserves this year, we will still need to purchase an additional 200,000 tons to replenish the stockpiles. If this happens, it could further exacerbate the supply-and-demand problem and might lead to speculative hoarding," Kusumoto said. The long-term decline in Japan's rice production also contributes to the current rice shortage, according to Kusumoto. "The acreage reduction policy started about 50 years ago and was abandoned in 2018. The acreage reduction policy has imposed a double burden on the people, because agricultural cooperatives and other organizations would buy rice from farmers at a low price and would provide subsidies for the acreage reduction. It has distorted farmers' production incentives and led to a decrease in rice planting areas. The trend has not been reversed, even after the policy's abolition. The outlook for rice production growth remains bleak," said Kusumoto. The professor also said that it is unlikely for rice prices to decline in a short term. "Basically, almost all prices have risen, due to the inflationary policy of the Japan government, so I don't think we can expect rice prices to return to their previous low," said the professor. SHOTLIST: Tokyo, Japan - Jan 21, 2025 1. Bags of rice; 2. Scale, food cabinet for storing rice; 3. Sign reading "rice"; Tokyo, Japan - Feb 17, 2025 4. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Kusumoto Junichiro, professor, Faculty of Law of Toyo University: "Even if we release 200,000 tons of the rice reserves this year, we will still need to purchase an additional 200,000 tons to replenish the stockpiles. If this happens, it could further exacerbate the supply-and-demand problem and might lead to speculative hoarding."; Tokyo, Japan - Jan 21, 2025 5. Shop assistant weighing rice; Tokyo, Japan - Feb 8, 2025 6. Various of bags of rice, price tags; Tokyo, Japan - Feb 17, 2025 7. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Kusumoto Junichiro, professor, Faculty of Law of Toyo University (ending with shot 8): "The acreage reduction policy started about 50 years ago and was abandoned in 2018. The acreage reduction policy has imposed a double burden on the people, because agricultural cooperatives and other organizations would buy rice from farmers at a low price and would provide subsidies for the acreage reduction. It has distorted farmers' production incentives and led to a decrease in rice planting areas. The trend has not been reversed, even after the policy's abolition. The outlook for rice production growth remains bleak."; FILE: Japan - Aug 2024 8. Various of rice field; Tokyo, Japan - Feb 17, 2025 9. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Kusumoto Junichiro, professor, Faculty of Law of Toyo University: "Basically, almost all prices have risen, due to the inflationary policy of the Japan government, so I don't think we can expect rice prices to return to their previous low."; FILE: Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan - Aug 12, 2024 10. Various of consumer, clerk, rice for sale at supermarket. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]