That’s my point about Japan.

Rice, unlike tea, is a defensive measure for times of crisis. Even as Japan imports food, the point is whether the country can quickly mobilize and ramp up to essential food crops. The point is having options and a hedge, which allows you leverage during economic negotiations for other things.

The percentage of imports you can have should be bounded by the runway and time horizon you have.

It seems Sri Lanka went all in on one crop without a hedge, and it would infeasibly take years to convert.