{
  "id": 11375262,
  "title": "Leafy vegetable prices surge across Japan after prolonged rain",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/leafy-vegetable-prices-surge-across-japan-after-prolonged-rain",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-02T06:13:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261002/p2a/00m/0bu/012000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Leafy vegetable prices have skyrocketed across Japan as a result of continuous rainfall throughout the nation, causing frustration among shoppers in a central Japanese city on October 1. At Tagoju Nishinakahara supermarket in Shizuoka's Suruga Ward, mizuna cost 376 yen (around $2.38) including tax, while lettuce and cabbage each went for 322 yen (about $2.04) per head and a quarter head of Chinese cabbage was priced at 290 yen (approximately $1.84). One local woman in her 60s lamented that she eats vegetables daily and finds the increased costs problematic.\n\nStore manager Katsumi Masuda explained that leafy vegetable prices remained stable in July and August, but they had to raise them around mid-September due to the persistent rain affecting not just Shizuoka but the entire Japanese archipelago. The heavy downpours and moist air caused vegetables to underdevelop, making them harder to secure across all growing regions. Masuda anticipates that high prices will continue into October, but noted that root vegetables, cut vegetables, and frozen vegetables remain affordable as harvests are robust. He urged consumers to make use of these more stable-priced vegetables. The Shizuoka Local Meteorological Office reported that late September in Shizuoka Prefecture saw frequent rain due to an autumn rain front and moist air, with precipitation levels twice the normal, and sunshine hours at around two-thirds of normal.",
  "summary": "SHIZUOKA -- Prices of leafy vegetables have surged at supermarkets across Japan, apparently due to prolonged rainfall nationwide, prompting sighs from",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}