Japan's harvest of 2026 rice as a staple food is estimated at 7,406,000 tons, down about 1 pct from the previous year's 7,468,000 tons, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.
The forecast is relatively high despite concerns about the impact of prolonged rain in September. With supply seen far surpassing demand, rice prices may decline further.
Production exceeded 7 million tons for the first time in four years in 2025.
The 2026 forecast was calculated based on the actual harvest and grain counts as of Sept. 25, when about 60 pct of the rice grown this year had been harvested.
The harvest survey has been delayed compared with a year earlier in some areas due to last month's prolonged rain and lack of sunshine, and the detailed impact of the weather conditions is likely to be reflected in the harvest figure as of Oct. 25, which will be released in mid-November.
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