Tokyo – The Minister of Agriculture of Japan resigned on Wednesday due to the political consequences on the recent comments that “he never had to buy rice” because he obtained it from supporters as gifts. The resignation occurs when the public fights with the high record prices of the country’s traditional basic food.
Taku Eto’s comment, which many Japanese saw how out of contact with him Difficult economic realities They face, they arrived in a seminar on Sunday in the prefecture of the saga. Politically, the Fause could be more problems for Prime Minister Shigeru ishiba Minority government that fightsthat faces a national crucial election in July. A loss could mean a new government or that ishiba would have to resign.
“I made an extremely inappropriate comment at a time when consumers are fighting with high rice prices,” Eto told journalists after presenting his resignation at the prime minister’s office. Eto said that Ishiba accepted his resignation.
“It is not appropriate for me to stay” since officials work to reduce high rice prices and increase the offer, said Eto.
The Government has published tons of rice of its emergency reserve in recent months, but the latest statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture show that it has not really helped the situation.
Eto, while presenting his resignation, also sought to clarify the comments that put him in trouble. He said he really bought white rice and did not live with rice given as gifts. He said the gift comment referred to Brown Rice, in which they want people to be interested because they can reach the market faster.
The media reports say that Eto’s successor will be the popular former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, son of a former prime minister.
Ishiba, also former farm minister, said he wants to strengthen Japan’s food security and self -sufficiency. Recently, he proposed agricultural reforms, including a greater production of rice and possible exports, although critics say that the current rice problem first first solves.
When pointing out the rice situation, Isthiba said it suspects that rice prices “is not a temporary but structural problem.”
The opposition parties had threatened to present a motion of non -confidence against them if Eto did not voluntarily resign on Wednesday afternoon.
The demand for Japanese rice has decreased in recent decades, since people’s diets have diversified, but rice remains a basic part and integral part of Japanese culture and history.
The deficit began last August in the purchase of panic after a precaution of the government on preparation For an important earthquake. The supply pressure decreased after autumn harvest, but a shortage and price increases reached again earlier this year.
The authorities have blamed the shortage of supplies to poor crops due to the warm climate in 2023 and high fertilizers and other production costs, but some experts blame the government’s long -term rice production policy.
The unprecedented release of emergency rice reserves was partly as an attempt to discover distribution problems. The government has denied that there is now a shortage of rice, but officials say it is a mystery why rice does not reach consumers. Some experts say it is because the shortage was very serious.
