Taku Etō, Japan’s agriculture minister, has resigned over incendiary comments about rice purchases that incensed the public. In his defense, Etō explained in a press release that he doesn’t purchase rice because he receives it for free from his backers. His remarks come in the context of Japan’s looming cost of living crisis. The small Asian country is currently facing an acute crisis due to soaring food costs, particularly for rice.
Most notably, in April Japan imported rice from South Korea. This was the first time in 25 years this has been done. Such action underscores how bad the country’s current rice crisis really is. Things have been exacerbated by bad harvests caused by the record-breaking weather seen in 2023 and consumers rushing to stock up. In addition, wholesalers and distributors are said to be stockpiling rice to prepare for future shortages.
Public anger is percolating as the average price of rice in grocery stores reached an all-time high of ¥4,268 yen. That price is almost twice the amount of just a year ago. In response to the exorbitant prices, the federal government acted. They had to release around 300,000 tons of rice from their emergency stockpiles to stabilize the market.
Shigeru Ishiba’s government is now under increasing fire over its handling of the rice shortage and escalating costs. This turmoil is proving fatal to its fortunes as the clock ticks towards upper house elections. Junya Ogawa, secretary general of the Constitutional Democratic Party, condemned Etō’s remarks as “extremely inappropriate, out of touch and intolerable,” reflecting widespread sentiment among the public.
Etō had earlier shown himself to be the public advocate of the consumer, lamenting skyrocketing price of rice on the consumer. He later acknowledged the gravity of his comments and their impact on the public.
“Once again, I apologise to people for making extremely inappropriate comments as minister when they are struggling with surging rice prices.” – Taku Etō
After evaluating his position amid this critical time for rice prices, Etō concluded that his continued presence as agriculture minister was inappropriate.
“I asked myself whether it is appropriate for me to stay at the helm [of the agriculture ministry] at a critical time for rice prices, and I concluded that it is not,” – Taku Etō
In his place, Shinjirō Koizumi, another former environment minister, will assume the role of agriculture minister. Japan, meanwhile, is undergoing its own leadership transition. This transition takes place against the backdrop of urgent crises such as food insecurity, inflation, and escalating costs of living.