Japanese Agriculture Minister Resigns Amid Rice Crisis Fallout

Taku Eto resigns after a remark about never purchasing rice exacerbates a national food crisis and highlights government failures.

Japan's agriculture minister, Taku Eto, stepped down from his position Wednesday following the backlash from his statement that he had “never bought a bag of rice.” This controversial remark came in the wake of an ongoing rice shortage that has frustrated the Japanese populace, especially as rice is a dietary staple in the country.

Eto's comments stirred significant public anger, especially ahead of upcoming national elections scheduled for July. Addressing a farming policy speech, he declared, “Frankly, my supporters give me quite a lot of rice. I have so much rice at home that I could sell it,” a statement criticized as out of touch with the struggles of ordinary citizens.

The ongoing rice shortage can be traced back to longstanding agricultural policies intended to support small farmers, which have inadvertently kept large swathes of farmland uncultivated by restricting new entrants from purchasing agricultural land. These policy failures have raised prices and sometimes forced supermarkets to impose rationing measures on consumers, intensifying frustration among urban voters.

With Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's popularity plummeting, especially amid the rice crisis, Eto's comments were seen as particularly harmful. Critics, including members of the smaller right-leaning Democratic Party for the People, openly expressed their disdain, asserting that Japan needs an agriculture minister who understands the challenges faced by consumers and farmers alike.

Eto's swift apology did little to quell the storm. Rather, opposition parties seized the opportunity to threaten a no-confidence motion, pressuring Ishiba further as his government’s approval ratings sunk to the low 20s. Ishiba justified Eto's resignation by stating, “If the confusion over his remark had continued, it would affect the implementation of agricultural policies.”

In a calculated move to stabilize the situation, Ishiba appointed Shinjiro Koizumi, a popular figure and son of a former prime minister, to succeed Eto as agriculture minister—a strategic choice aimed at reconnecting with the electorate during this challenging time.