Mr. Aro Kasakawa, Japanese Expert of the APTERR Secretariat, was accompanied by the APTERR staff to attend the Japanese Food Ingredients Awareness and Education Project organised by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Bangkok on 8 October 2025 at the Food School Bangkok to deepen an understanding of Japanese rice varieties, particularly the pre-cooked rice, which has been implemented under Tier 3 programme.
This project had Mr. Katayama Shinichi, a 5-star Rice Meister, as the keynote speaker. He introduced various types of Japanese rice and shared his expertise on how to cook them perfectly to complement different dishes. Renown for his mastery of rice from across Japan, Mr. Katayama is praised for crafting rice with a delicate aroma and rich flavor, and using unique traditional techniques for rice blending and polishing.
Japan cultivates more than 400 varieties of rice, each maintaining consistent moisture that gives a uniquely soft and delicate texture. Mr. Katayama highlighted the uniqueness of these varieties and demonstrated techniques for enhancing their quality and taste.
In addition to regular rice, he also introduced the pre-cooked rice (Alpha rice), a dehydrated, fully cooked rice product with a long shelf life of several years. It requires minimal preparation, as it can be rehydrated simply with water or hot water while retaining the taste and texture of freshly cooked rice. Moreover, it is available in various flavours and provides nutritional value, making it a practical and reliable food option, especially during the emergencies.
Recognising these advantages, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan has promoted the use of pre-cooked rice under APTERR’s Tier 3 for rapid response since 2020.
Through this initiative, the APTERR has already distributed the pre-cooked rice to Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR and the Philippines as part of its emergency relief during disasters.
Besides Mr. Katayama, Mr. Kazuhiro Yoshida, a well-known Japanese cuisine chef, also joined the event to share his expertise on how to cook Japanese rice deliciously with numerous students from the cooking school.
