Japan farm minister resigns over ‘gifted rice’ remark
Farm minister Taku Eto resigned Wednesday after facing a backlash over a remark that struck a nerve with the public suffering from soaring rice prices, dealing a blow to the already unpopular Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of a parliamentary election.
Ishiba, who ultimately bowed to opposition pressure and sacked Eto, picked Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, as the new agriculture minister, installing the popular former environment minister who lost in the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential race last year.
Saying, “I will accept all criticism,” Ishiba acknowledged his personal responsibility for handpicking Eto and allowing him to stay on even as objections mounted over the comment.
Eto, 64, tendered his resignation at the prime minister’s office, hours before Ishiba is set to face off in parliament with opposition party leaders, who had united in their calls for Eto’s resignation. Opposition lawmakers called Eto’s departure “too late.”
The latest scandal comes as Ishiba prepares for a House of Councilors election this summer, a must-win race for the ruling coalition after it lost control of the more powerful House of Representatives last year.
Increasing dismay
“I asked myself whether it is appropriate for me to stay at the helm (of the ministry) at a critical time for rice prices, and I concluded that it is not,” Eto told reporters at the prime minister’s office after tendering his resignation.
“Once again, I apologize to the people for making an extremely inappropriate comment as minister when they are struggling with surging rice prices,” he said.
Eto is the first of Ishiba’s Cabinet members to leave office for reasons other than having lost a parliamentary seat in the general election in October.
His gaffe came shortly after the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries decided to release additional rice from its emergency stockpiles until July. The move was made in the hope of bringing down rice prices, which have doubled from a year earlier.
Eto is known as one of the leading experts on agricultural policy in the ruling party, and served as farm minister for a year from 2019 under then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Opinion polls have shown the public’s increasing dissatisfaction with how the government has addressed the recent spike in rice prices. The issue has been exacerbated as many households have not seen wage growth keep pace with rampant inflation.
Not so funny
Speaking at a fundraising event organized by his party’s local chapter on Sunday, Eto said, “I’m not buying rice. Thanks to my supporters giving me plenty of it, I have so much of it in my house that I could sell it.”
He later explained he wanted to get a laugh from the audience but went “too far,” causing opposition lawmakers to immediately question his suitability for the ministry.
After meeting with Ishiba at the prime minister’s office Wednesday, Koizumi pledged to make efforts to ease public concerns over rising rice prices.
“Since my appointment, I will devote myself as the minister in charge of rice to dispelling public anger and distrust. I will begin by focusing on our rice policy,” Koizumi told reporters.
Koizumi, whose father is former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, served as the LDP’s election chief until he left the post following the dismal results of the general election. He is one of the public’s favorites to become a future Japanese leader.
Japan’s major opposition parties agreed Tuesday to jointly urge Eto to resign, threatening a no-confidence motion against him. Criticism also grew within the ruling coalition, with some senior members viewing his departure as inevitable.
