Trump wants Japan to buy more US rice

However, despite Japanese consumers' preference for homegrown varieties, US agricultural export data shows that a substantial amount of rice already makes it across the Pacific.

As our chart shows, Japan usually vies with Mexico to be the biggest individual destination for US rice shipments: Japanese imports reached almost USD 300 million in 2024. Canada and South Korea are also key markets for US rice farmers, who are mostly located in the Deep South.

To be sure, Japan does cap imports of tariff-free rice, aiming to protect domestic farmers (a politically sensitive constituency -- especially ahead of July's upper house election).

And as our second chart shows, Japan's rice imports from the US have fallen somewhat over the past 12 months. Indeed, US rice exports to all nations recently fell into year-on-year contraction.