Rice prices have been on the rise in Japan. A 5-kilogram bag of the grain has roughly doubled to around 4,200 yen, or $30, from a year ago. The same amount of white, long-grain rice sells for less than half that in the U.S. While importing rice has been floated as a solution, Japanese farmers remain heavily protected from foreign competition and make up an important voter base for the ruling party. (Japan holds an upper house election next month.) For more of the Asian business, politics, economy and tech stories others miss, please subscribe to Nikkei Asia: s.nikkei.com/42332tB == == == == == == Follow us on: Website: asia.nikkei.com Twitter: twitter.com/NikkeiAsia Facebook: facebook.com/nikkeiasia Instagram: instagram.com/nikkeiasia Threads: threads.com/@nikkeiasia LinkedIn: s.nikkei.com/liasia Telegram: t.me/nikkeiasia WhatsApp: s.nikkei.com/3NlNUm9 #japan #japaneconomy #rice #japanelection ...