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Seed soaking is an important process in rice cultivation. Allowing seeds to absorb sufficient water before sowing improves their germinability, germination vigor, and seedling emergence. The use of converter slag, which is a fertilizer and soil amendment, can increase crop yields and suppress diseases. However, there are no reports on the effect of the converter slag on initial rice plant growth when applied at the seed soaking stage. In this study, we investigated the effects of soaking rice seeds in two types of converter slag suspensions on the early growth of rice plants from germination to seedling emergence. We conducted laboratory tests with simulated cultivation processes (germination forcing and root-elongation forcing). The seeds soaked in converter slag suspensions showed improved germinability and coleoptile elongation under anaerobic conditions, as well as improved rooting ability and seminal root elongation under aerobic conditions. Seeds soaked in converter slag suspensions and water were sown using five sowing methods (standard seedling raising; Japanese-type direct sowing at surface, shallow, and deep soil depths; and Italian-type direct sowing). Overall, the seedlings that grew from seeds treated with the converter slag suspensions showed faster seedling emergence and better growth. These results show that soaking seeds in Ca2+-rich converter slag suspensions can promote the early growth of rice plants by avoiding low-oxygen disorders and improve subsequent seedling establishment. Thus, converter slag suspensions are suitable for germination but unsuitable for microbial growth due to high alkaline conditions (pH 11–11.5), which may omit both water changes and germination forcing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]