Three major convenience store operators are preparing to sell government stockpiled rice from older harvests, with Lawson planning to market ¡°rice balls made of vintage rice.¡±

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Lawson President and CEO Sadanobu Takemasu commented on the Japanese naming convention for aging rice, which adds a ko for each year past its harvest ¡ª such as kokokomai for 3-year-old rice.

¡°It¡¯s incredibly difficult to pronounce,¡± he said, adding that Lawson would instead market the product as ¡°vintage rice¡± in an effort to refresh its image.

Lawson plans to use rice harvested in 2022 and 2023 for its vintage onigiri rice balls, which are expected to hit the stores in the Kanto region in early July at about ?120 ($0.80) ¡ª slightly lower than the standard price.

It will also sell both 1-kilogram and 2-kg bags of rice, priced at ?360 and ?700 before tax, respectively.

According to agricultural ministry data released Monday, the average price of a 5-kg bag of rice at supermarkets in the week through May 25 was ?4,260, down ?25 from a week earlier. It marked the country¡¯s first price drop for rice in three weeks.

FamilyMart said Wednesday it plans to offer a 1-kg bag of rice at a pretax price of ?360 from Thursday. Initial sales will be limited to 10 stores each in Tokyo and Osaka, with each shopper limited to one bag. The company said it plans to gradually expand availability to more regions in the coming weeks.

Seven-Eleven Japan, which operates 7-Eleven stores, will sell prewashed or easy-cook rice in 2-kg bags priced at around ?800.

Under a government program to sell stockpiled rice to smaller retailers via no-bid contracts, FamilyMart purchased 1,000 metric tons of the staple grain harvested in 2021, while Seven-Eleven Japan and Lawson each secured 500 tons.

The government switched from an earlier auction process so that it can sell the stockpiled rice at a lower price ¡ª aiming for around ?2,000 for a 5-kg bag.

But questions remain on the reach of the cheaper rice. Having stockpiled rice sold at convenience stores, which have a combined network of over 50,000 outlets across the country, will likely make it more accessible to consumers in smaller cities and regions.

Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a news conference Tuesday that the government is considering buying back the rice it auctioned off to distributors in March and April so that it can sell it to retailers more quickly and at a lower price.