111.   However, imported rice is very important for the domestic market.

112.   In a face-saving gesture, the South Korean rice is to carry no labels of origin.

113.   In the old Asian societies where rice has been grown as a staple food, the same rice fields and paddies have been unchanged for centuries.

114.   Its jasmine fragrant rice is its highest-quality variety and is popular in many markets around the world.

115.   Many Japanese tend to favor homegrown and assume that foreign rice is dry, tasteless and loaded with chemicals.

116.   More than a decade of good rains have resulted in surplus buffer stocks, and rice is now an important export.

117.   Modern, commercially milled rice is completely white, with all of the nutrient-rich coating removed.

118.   North Korea rejected the condition, saying it already has promised in a letter to Japanese legislators that the rice would be for civilian use, the newspaper said.

119.   Newly harvested rice is very popular in Japan, and sells for premium prices.

120.   Observers said the rush was sparked by fear that rice would be soon hard to find in view of the steady rise in prices.