Retailer Aeon to Sell Japan-U.S. Blended Rice

Chiba, April 2 (Jiji Press)--With rice prices staying high, Japanese retail giant Aeon Co. said Wednesday that it will sell a blend of rice produced in Japan and the United States.

Under the name "Nisui no Takumi," the blended rice will be sold from around April 10 at some 2,000 stores across Japan except the Hokkaido northernmost region and the Tohoku northeastern region.

The price will be 3,002 yen per 4 kilograms, lower than those of regular products currently available.

The product is a blend of 80 pct U.S.-grown rice and 20 pct Japanese rice, according to Aeon, based in Chiba, near Tokyo.

"We are eager to sell rice at a price as low as possible," Executive Vice President Mitsuko Tsuchiya told a launch event in Chiba, explaining that many customers still say they cannot afford rice.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]