Japan's new agriculture minister pledged on Friday to quickly move rice from government stockpiles to store shelves where they would be offered at prices significantly lower than current levels, seeking to stem a consumer shift to cheaper,

The government has been releasing some of its stockpiled rice since March but that has yet to translate to lower supermarket prices.

Japan's core inflation rate accelerated in April to 3.5 percent as rice prices almost doubled year-on-year, official data showed Friday.