The average price of rice sold at supermarkets across Japan fell ¥35 from the previous week to ¥3,156 per 5 kilograms, marking a second consecutive weekly decline. The figure comes from a Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries survey of about 1,000 supermarkets nationwide covering August 17 to 23 and released on August 28. Private inventories at the end of July reached 1.62 million tons, the highest July level since the survey began in 2008 and roughly 1.8 times the level a year earlier. Demand shifted toward cheaper government-released reserve rice and imported rice, leaving unusually large stocks of 2025-crop rice. Distributors are cutting prices to liquidate holdings before new-crop rice arrives in earnest. Branded rice fell ¥36 to ¥3,175 per 5 kilograms, while blended rice and private-brand products declined ¥33 to ¥3,061. The government has indicated plans to buy back about 150,000 tons of reserve rice released last year, possibly as early as September, but some market participants say the volume is too small to have a significant price impact. Falling prices may ease household costs but pressure producer and distributor earnings, with competition expected to continue as the new harvest approaches.