Police said Sunday that 420 kgs of newly harvested rice were stolen from a farm in Nameirikawa, Toyama Prefecture, sometime overnight.
The rice, which was the popular Koshihikari variety, was packed in 14 bags, each holding 30 kgs, and stored in a shed. The rice was valued at 112,000 yen, police said, adding they believe the theft occurred early Sunday morning
© News reports
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fondofj
Poverty really hits Japan lastly.
Zenny11
Large scale Rice and Fruit theft been going on for Years.
Often reported in in the TV-News and other Media.
some14some
...a small quantity, may be for personal/family use.
Klein2
Two computers, five bicycles, 14 bags of rice. A car here, a truck there.
Hey. Stuff gets stolen.
It is pretty lame to steal rice, but very easy to fence.
Too bad.
isthistheend
Who ate my Post Toasties?! This is not an unusual happening. I remember reading about it almost once a year at harvest time, no?
JustAGoodOlBoy
Two paragraphs three sentences....think this is the shortest story I have ever seen on JT.
smithinjapan
I haven't passed a year here when I don't hear from friends about how their vegetables or what have you were stolen, but never have I heard it more than over the past couple of years. Poverty is increasing here, and with prices of food insanely high in this country this news is not surprising.
mrhog1234
Turning it into some great sake. No just dreaming
Klein2
"I haven't passed a year here when I don't hear from friends about how their vegetables or what have you were stolen, but never have I heard it more than over the past couple of years."
This is a huge problem in the UK, from what I understand. People stealing from private gardens, I mean. Here in Japan, I have seen makeshift fences to shield gardens in roadside areas especially. I am surprised that people with enough ambition to select and harvest stolen veggies don't have the wherewithal to eat otherwise. I mean they usually have vehicles and strength enough to work.
Here is a great thought exercise for people hung up on socialism/capitalism. I grew way more than I could eat this year, but I worked for it. I have very little use for the extra food, although canning, pickling and drying are options. Somebody might come along and look at my garden and decide that because I have so much, that they can have what they want and I will never miss it. I would hate that. But if someone came along and told me that they wanted to harvest my excess produce and distribute it, I would tell them to go ahead.
bob91343
That's a lot of money, over $1 a pound! Must be fancy stuff. Here in the US rice runs half that or less.
whiskeysour
Black Market Rice Japan is sooooooooooo dangerous !!!!
Bartholomew Harte
Now THAT'S Big time crime!
Klein2
Yeah, Bob. It is kind of a long story. But you figure that the gas they had to use to haul it away is three times what it costs in the US, and the land is three times as expensive, well, it all fits. Farmers are not getting rich.
The thieves probably aren't either. As I said in my post above, they could have stolen a few bicycles and made as much money.
That is why people think that they did it for food, not the cash.
Taka313
Considering how much work is put into farming, I would be really P.O.'d. Klein, I see what you are saying. Fortunately for us, we were able to trade our excess for other vegetables we didn't grow. We basically ate for free all summer.
Taka