Rice Summit Launched: Nationwide Municipalities Collaborate

On May 18, 2026, the 'Council of Mayors for Inter-Municipal Agricultural Cooperation Linked by Rice' (Rice Summit) was established at the Zenkoku Choson Kaikan (National Municipalities Hall) in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, with Izumiotsu City, Osaka Prefecture (Mayor Kenichi Minamide) acting as the initiator.

Participated in by 15 municipalities across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, the council was established as a new framework to promote rice consumption and production in an integrated manner through cooperation between production and consumption areas. It aims to expand nationwide in the future.

■ Significance of Establishing the Rice Summit

In recent years, structural issues surrounding rice have become apparent, such as labor shortages and aging populations in production areas, and price surges and supply-demand instability in consumption areas.

In this context, the council aims to build a new policy model that views 'consumption' and 'production' as integrated by having production and consumption municipalities cooperate directly.

In particular, it will promote initiatives to link demand creation from the consumption side to production stability and expansion by utilizing 'outlets that are reliably consumed,' such as school lunches.

■ Vision of the Rice Summit

Mayor Minamide of Izumiotsu City, the initiator, set forth the creation of a new social cycle based on rice as the vision for the Rice Summit, presenting initiatives based on three axes:

・ 'Eating Rice'
Creating daily consumption opportunities by leveraging municipal outlets such as school lunches and child-rearing support.

・ 'Knowing Rice'
Re-recognizing the value of rice and inheriting it to the next generation through food education for children and farming experiences.

・ 'Connecting through Rice'
Building sustainable supply systems and local food security through direct cooperation between production and consumption areas.

Through these, he indicated his intention to generate a cycle where 'consumption supports production and production responds to consumption,' thereby enhancing the sustainability of Japan's food and agriculture.