Japan's Agriculture Minister Taku Eto has resigned after his remarks on rice sparked a wave of criticism from voters and lawmakers, presenting a new challenge to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's embattled government.
Eto resigned after media reports revealed that he had said at a recent fundraising party that he "never had to buy rice thanks to donations from supporters."
The comment sparked a barrage of criticism from voters, already concerned about the historically high price of the Japanese staple food due to a poor harvest and increased demand due to a tourism boom.
Appointment of a new minister
"I made a highly inappropriate remark at a time when citizens are suffering from skyrocketing rice prices," Eto told reporters after resigning from the prime minister's office.
Following Eto'o's resignation, Ijiba appointed former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi as his deputy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, saying he was counting on his reformist stance to bring results.
"Koizumi is someone who has experience, insight and passion for reforms in agriculture and fisheries," Ishiba said.
Rice price crisis in Japan
The doubling of rice prices from last year has become a major concern for Japanese voters who have long been accustomed to years of deflation and inflation-adjusted wages, Hina reports.
Koizumi, who previously headed the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) agriculture and forestry department, said there would be no "sacred cows" in his efforts to lower rice prices and that strong political will would be needed to achieve those goals.
Rice farmers traditionally support the ruling LDP, and Japan protects the rice market with high tariffs that exceed the duty-free "minimum access" quota agreed under World Trade Organization rules.
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