Japan has experienced a rice shortage for about two years now as the country deals with extreme heat and natural disasters that have lowered harvest output. However, President Trump claims that the country won’t accept rice from the U.S.
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“To show people how spoiled Countries have become with respect to the United States of America, and I have great respect for Japan, they won’t take our RICE, and yet they have a massive rice shortage,” said Trump in a Truth Social post on Monday.
Trump Threatens Japan with New Tariffs
Trump also warned that the U.S. would send Japan a letter, likely a reference to a letter with a new tariff rate.
The numbers tell a different story. Japan imported 10,605 tons of tariffed rice in May, up by nearly 10x from 115 tons a year ago, according to Japan’s Finance Ministry. Of the 10,605 tons, the U.S. was responsible for 7,894 tons, or about 75% of the total imports. In 2024, Japan purchased $298 million of the rice from the U.S.
It’s possible that Trump could be referring to Japan’s future purchases of U.S. rice or a threat from Japan that it would reduce U.S. rice imports if it can’t reach a fair trade deal.
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