📌 Japan's rising cost of living Prices in Japan keep rising — and for many households, it’s getting harder to keep up. More than 20,000 food and beverage products saw price hikes this year alone. Rice, produce and everyday essentials now cost significantly more, while wages are still struggling to catch up. In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we look at what’s driving the cost-of-living squeeze — the weak yen, higher energy and transport costs, climate impacts on crops — and what the gove