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July 12, 2026
 

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FOOD

Over the past several years, there has been a spate of viral videos featuring unhygienic pranks at conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, with such acts referred to in Japan as “sushi terrorism.”
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2026
Sushi chain in Japan may consult police over video of man pouring liquid on sushi
The video, posted on TikTok on Wednesday, seems to show the uploader pouring liquid from a dish soap bottle onto sushi that had been delivered to him via a conveyor belt.
Some manufacturers are passing on increased costs for packaging materials and energy to consumers amid the uncertain situation in the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2026
Prices for over 1,000 food items in Japan set to rise in June
Seasoning accounted for the largest share of products set to see higher prices, followed by processed food.
The Japanese government's fiscal 2025 white paper on food, agriculture and rural areas noted that private-sector rice imports surged after retail prices of the grain in May 2025 roughly doubled from a year before.
JAPAN
May 29, 2026
Japan voices concern over rice imports in white paper
Private-sector rice imports experienced a sharp increase after retail prices roughly doubled year on year in May 2025.
Salmonella bacteria
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 27, 2026
Climate change fueling growth of antibiotic-resistant salmonella
New research suggests warming temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns could accelerate the spread of hard-to-treat infections.
Despite government efforts to lower the price of rice by tapping into the nation’s emergency stockpile, the cost of Japan’s staple grain remains at an all-time high.
JAPAN / Society
May 27, 2026
Rice consumption in fiscal 2025 the lowest in seven years
The drop coincided with last summer’s “Reiwa rice riots” when the staple disappeared from supermarket shelves and prices surged nationwide.
Farmers clean vegetables in South Omdurman, Sudan, on May, 21.
WORLD
May 26, 2026
Iran war poses new threat to harvests in hunger-stricken Sudan
Sudan is particularly vulnerable to the fallout from the Iran crisis as it relies on the Persian Gulf for more than half of its fertilizer needs, according to U.N. ‌data.
Tokyo Central staff offer handroll sushi at its Emeryville outlet in California.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 25, 2026
Even at home, American shoppers are flocking to Japanese supermarkets
Aisles lined with signs written in kanji and hiragana transport shoppers doing their regular grocery shopping to Japan.
A box of two Yubari melons sold for a record-high ¥5.8 million at the season’s first auction in Sapporo on Friday.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2026
Yubari melons fetch record ¥5.8 million at first auction of season
The melons will go on display at Keio Store’s Sakuragaoka supermarket in western Tokyo before tasting events begin next week.
Japan’s core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, rose 1.4% in April from a year earlier, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2026
Japan’s inflation eases to four-year low, complicating BOJ hike
Japan’s core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, rose 1.4% in April from a year earlier, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
A mixture of urea and ammonium sulfate fertilizer on a corn field in Glendora, Mississippi.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2026
Human urine becomes option for farmers in fertilizer supply crunch
From Yorkshire chicken muck to human urine-based products, a fertilizer crunch tied to the Iran war is accelerating demand for alternatives to conventional nitrogen inputs.
Cindy McCain, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, is interviewed in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 22, 2026
U.N. World Food Programme chief thanks Japan amid funding shortfall
The organization has seen transportation cost increases affecting things such as food and other relief supplies, since the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed.
Grilled <i>kabayaki</i> using fully farmed eel shown at the agriculture ministry on Tuesday
JAPAN
May 20, 2026
Japan to sell eels bred in captivity in ‘world first’
The move could ease eventually pressure on the endangered fish
Alexander De Croo, head of the U.N. Development Program, is interviewed in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2026
UNDP head warns of food shortages amid surging fertilizer prices
High energy prices, inflation and the resulting instability will persist “at least until the end of the year,” UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo also said in an interview in Tokyo.
U.S. President Donald Trump bought shares of Kura Sushi USA in February.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
Trump filing reveals stake in sushi chain alongside Big Tech
Trump bought shares of Kura Sushi USA on Feb. 2 with the transaction size in a range of around $1 million to $5 million, according to his latest financial disclosure.
A customer at a supermarket in Yokohama. Under a planned food-labeling revision, consumers will be able to scan QR codes on processed food packages to access detailed product information.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 17, 2026
Japan to introduce QR code food labels to improve readability
The adoption of digital technology for food labeling is part of a broader international trend.
Calbee will start selling potato chips in black and white packages due to a naphtha-derived ink shortage amid the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Calbee’s switch to black-and-white packaging brings home impact of Iran war
The government maintains that there is enough naphtha for local industries, though bottlenecks have been identified.
Meiji&#039;s Hello Panda chocolate cookies are displayed for sale at a store in Manhattan in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 12, 2026
Hello Panda: A globally loved snack Japan said goodbye to in 1989
While Meiji struggled in Japan to sell its crunchy, chocolate-filled biscuit snacks first introduced in 1987, Hello Panda had a completely different trajectory overseas.
A line of natto products shown on the website of Mizkan
BUSINESS / Companies
May 4, 2026
Mizkan suspends sales for four natto products amid supply strain
The war in the Middle East has driven up procurement costs, the company said, putting pressure on packed natto production.
A vendor sells durian from a cart on a street in Bangkok&#039;s Chinatown on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 3, 2026
Bangkok food vendor curbs push city staple from the streets
Convenient, full of flavor and popular among residents and tourists alike, Bangkok’s street food is one of the city’s signatures.
A worker cultivates rice plants at a farm in Bangkok. Rice supply is expected to fall this year due to impacts of the Iran war and an emerging El Nino weather phenomenon that is set to usher in hotter, drier conditions.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2026
From surplus to strain: Iran war and El Nino threaten global rice supply
Rice is central to global food security, and even small supply disruptions can ripple through countries, raising prices and straining household budgets.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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