Japan Food Prices Rise the Least in 25 Months

2026-09-18 00:09 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

Japan’s food prices rose 3.1% year-on-year in August 2026, slowing from 3.5% in the previous month and marking the slowest increase since July 2024.

Price pressures moderated across fresh vegetables (5.5% vs 6.5% in July), fresh fruit (0.1% vs 2.4%), dairy products and eggs (1.3% vs 3.5%), cakes and candies (5.0% vs 6.1%), meats (3.3% vs 3.9%), alcoholic beverages (0.4% vs 0.6%), and prepared foods (3.3% vs 3.5%).

Meanwhile, cereal prices fell for a fourth straight month (-3.4% vs -2.2%).

At the same time, rice prices dropped 15.7% year-on-year, extending their decline for a fourth consecutive month and marking the steepest fall since April 2005.

In contrast, prices accelerated for fish and seafood (9.9% vs 9.0%), oils, fats and seasonings (4.0% vs 3.4%), beverages (6.0% vs 5.5%), and meals eaten out (2.1% vs 1.7%).



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Japan Food Prices Rise the Least in 25 Months
Japan’s food prices rose 3.1% year-on-year in August 2026, slowing from 3.5% in the previous month and marking the slowest increase since July 2024. Price pressures moderated across fresh vegetables (5.5% vs 6.5% in July), fresh fruit (0.1% vs 2.4%), dairy products and eggs (1.3% vs 3.5%), cakes and candies (5.0% vs 6.1%), meats (3.3% vs 3.9%), alcoholic beverages (0.4% vs 0.6%), and prepared foods (3.3% vs 3.5%). Meanwhile, cereal prices fell for a fourth straight month (-3.4% vs -2.2%). At the same time, rice prices dropped 15.7% year-on-year, extending their decline for a fourth consecutive month and marking the steepest fall since April 2005. In contrast, prices accelerated for fish and seafood (9.9% vs 9.0%), oils, fats and seasonings (4.0% vs 3.4%), beverages (6.0% vs 5.5%), and meals eaten out (2.1% vs 1.7%).
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Japan’s food prices rose 3.5% year-on-year in July 2026, accelerating from 3.2% in June and marking the fastest increase since February. Price pressures strengthened across fresh vegetables (6.6% vs 2.8%), fresh fruit (2.4% vs 0.2%), cakes and candies (6.1% vs 5.6%), fish and seafood (9.0% vs 7.6%), meats (3.9% vs 3.5%), alcoholic beverages (0.6% vs 0.5%), and meals eaten out (1.7% vs 1.6%). Meanwhile, price growth eased for dairy products and eggs (3.5% vs 4.5%), oils, fats and seasonings (3.4% vs 4.0%), prepared foods (3.5% vs 3.7%), and beverages (5.5% vs 5.9%). Cereal prices fell for a third straight month (-2.2% vs -2.1%). Notably, rice prices dropped 11.6% year-on-year, extending their decline for a third consecutive month and marking the steepest fall since August 2005.
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