Hundreds of shoppers in Japan have waited for hours in long queues to purchase cheap, emergency-use grain made available through some retailers since the weekend.
In an abrupt change of policy, the government last week began selling stockpiled rice directly to retailers, aiming to get a 5kg bag to consumers for around 2,000 yen (£10) - less than half of average prices. There is a limit of one bag per household.
The doubling in rice prices since last year, partly due to extreme heat impacting production, has become a major concern for voters and policymakers ahead of two key elections.