A lot of countries have a national food reserve that is used to calm prices when demand fluctuates, it allows time to adjust production while you’re putting food in or out of the reserve to control prices.
Does Japan not have that?
Does Japan not have that?
"Japan's rice stockpile has dropped to its lowest level in this century due to a prolonged heatwave in 2023 and rising domestic demand, causing concerns among residents about high prices."
Though if you have diversity in your crop production, usually when one thing does badly, something else does better, especially if your country is big.
When COVID first hit, I did an estimate of how much food I had on hand (without even intentionally trying to stockpile) and I figure I could live 6-8 months without leaving.
https://www.newsweek.com/americas-14-billion-pound-cheese-st...
(From a few quick searches, it looks like rice will last 5+ years with proper storage.)
They claim to have enough.