Japan braces for wave of food price hikes

As workplaces reopen following the Golden Week holidays in Japan, agencies offering "retirement代行" (job-quitting proxy) services are reporting a surge in requests. These services, which inform employers of a worker's resignation on their behalf, are increasingly used by new employees—many of whom find themselves overwhelmed in their first year of work due to power harassment, excessive unpaid overtime, or discrepancies between job listings and actual duties.

Japan’s consumer inflation continued its upward trajectory in April, marking the 44th consecutive month of increase, with rice in particular climbing 98.4% year-on-year.

Real wages in Japan declined for the third consecutive year, as rising prices continued to outpace wage growth. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Monthly Labour Survey for fiscal 2024, inflation-adjusted wages fell by 0.5% compared to the previous year.

FamilyMart has unveiled a new retail strategy dubbed the "Apollo Plan," aiming to expand its sales space by attaching small, three-tsubo (about 10 square meters) white containers to existing stores. At a location in Kanagawa Prefecture, curious customers noticed the unfamiliar structure next to the usual storefront, wondering aloud what it might contain.

Japan is facing a growing crisis not just with rice, but also with seafood, as supply shortages and rising prices begin to hit the consumer's dinner table.

The average price of a newly built condominium in the Greater Tokyo area in April dropped 8.7% from a year earlier to 69.99 million yen, falling below the 70 million yen mark for the first time in 16 months, according to a report by the Real Estate Economic Institute.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has decided to waive basic water charges for all ordinary households in the city this summer, covering approximately 8 million households.

With rice prices continuing to hover at historically high levels and empty store shelves becoming more common, the Japanese government is under increasing pressure to implement consumer- and producer-friendly policies. In response, authorities are revising the bidding system for releasing reserve rice stocks, aiming to make it more accessible to smaller wholesalers.