Indicators
Japan’s Consumers Hunt for Bargains as Food Inflation Bites
- Costs for rice, cabbage and other staples are surging
- Restaurants warn that higher food costs will hit profits
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Inflation in Japan is running at 4%, but Taemi Komiyama finds the cost of feeding her family is escalating much faster than that.
The 35-year-old housewife is paying ¥50,000 ($336) a month for food, up 25% from her budget last year. The prices of staples such as rice, eggs and cabbage have all surged in the past 12 months. She and her husband have stopped eating out to save money and she is considering rejoining the workforce to deal with higher costs. In the meantime, she’s cutting back on fresh produce.