TOKYO -- The price of vegetables remains high in Japan, with cabbage -- a popular accompaniment to "tonkatsu" fried pork dishes -- more than tripling in cost, the country's agricultural ministry announced on Jan. 7.

According to a survey on the state of food prices by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries carried out Dec. 23 to 25 last year, the national average prices of all eight of the vegetables it covered were more expensive than normal. Cabbage in particular stood at 453 yen (about $2.90) per kilogram, 3.36 times the average for a typical year.

Lettuce was up by 2.38 times to 993 yen per kilo, while 1 kg of Napa cabbage hit 269 yen, or 1.95 times its normal year average.

The survey included 470 large retail shops across the country. The higher prices stem from weather and climate issues including the record heat in summer, bad weather in October and cold temperatures with little rain in December, reportedly causing smaller sizes than usual produce.

According to ministry's horticultural division, for the time being prices are expected to continue their upward trend.

An official with a Japan Agricultural Cooperatives economic federation in Aichi Prefecture, which is a major producer of winter and spring cabbage, said, "The weather for 2024 crops was unfavorable and the heads did not grow well, so despite harvesting some, it didn't add up to much in units of 10-kg cases. We struggled as shipments were down approximately 40% from the previous year. We are fortunate to have had a little rain at the start of this year, but growing conditions remain harsh."

Cabbage is a must-have side vegetable for tonkatsu pork cutlets in Japan. A person related to a chain of tonkatsu shops in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward said, "The impact has been minimal because the entire group has a direct contract with the farmers who produce cabbage. However, since all ingredients have increased in price, we have stopped offering unlimited refills of cabbage in order to keep the overall price down."

Meanwhile, an individual related to an independently run tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward commented, "The purchase price of cabbage is putting pressure on our business, but we will continue to offer free refills for our happy customers."

(Japanese original by Akiko Yamazaki, Digital News Department)