Prices of Over 2,800 Food Items Rising in Japan
The prices of 2,806 food and drink items in Japan are to rise this month, according to a new survey.
The research company Teikoku Databank surveyed 195 Japanese food and drink companies across Japan.
In April 2023, the prices of 5,404 items were raised — so compared to that, the number of price rises has decreased by over 48%. However, Teikoku Databank said that this was still the biggest increase so far this year.
Processed foods, such as ham, sausages and frozen foods, are the largest number of items to have their prices raised — 2,077 items.
The prices of 369 seasonings, such as soup stock, ketchup, and chili pepper products are also being raised, together with 287 drinks such as whisky, tomato juice and instant coffee.
The prices of some products will remain the same but the size or volume will be reduced.
The survey found that price increases have been caused by the weak yen, which is driving up import costs, and by unseasonable weather caused by climate change.
In particular, harvests of raw materials like olive oil, cacao beans, sesame and nori seaweed have been affected by bad weather such as heat waves, droughts, and too much rain — and this has pushed prices up.
Teikoku Databank said that companies are also using price increases to cover transportation costs and the cost of paying their workers higher wages.
Among the reasons companies gave for price rises this April, the weak yen was over 29% higher than in the same period last year, and the cost of labor was over 24% higher.
Price increases are expected to continue this year at a rate of around 1,000 items per month, up to a total of around 15,000 items.
