Japan's rice prices are on the rise again, shrugging off sales of government stockpiles of the grain that had pushed prices lower in recent months.
A nationwide survey shows the average cost of rice in supermarkets increased for the first time in 10 weeks.
The agriculture ministry released its survey on Monday, which covered 1,000 supermarkets in the week through July 27.
The average price of a 5-kilogram bag cost 3,625 yen, or 24 dollars. That's up 1.1 percent from the previous week and 50 percent higher than a year ago.
The ministry says the price bump comes as sales of government reserves dipped slightly. It started tapping stockpiles to boost supply after retail prices doubled in the space of a year.
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