Vegetables are overpriced due to continued lack of sunshine.
Wholesale prices for lettuce and Chinese cabbage are more than double the average.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, there are many days when fronts are stagnant near Japan since the beginning of this month.
In some areas, the hours of sunshine are 30% to 40% less than normal, and the temperature is still low.
Under these circumstances, the wholesale prices of major vegetables on the 14th of the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market increased by about 2.3 times for lettuce and about 2.1 times for Chinese cabbage compared to the same period in normal years.
Eggplants are 38% higher than normal, cucumbers and tomatoes are 34% higher, spinach is 26% higher, and cabbage is 22% higher.
Prices of cucumbers and eggplants rose due to the effects of the long rain in the middle of last month, and after that, they had settled down to the normal level, but they have risen again.
In addition, potatoes are 55% higher than normal in Hokkaido, the main production area, due to the effects of high temperatures and lack of rain.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, "If the weather does not recover, vegetable prices may continue to be high for some time."