JAPAN’S farm minister quit Wednesday after saying he’s never needed to buy rice, a comment that fueled criticism of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s minority government and its handling of rising food prices ahead of an election.
Agriculture Minister Taku Eto said his resignation was accepted by Ishiba on Wednesday. The stepping down comes just a day after the premier backed him to stay in the role and is a setback for Ishiba as he tries to convince the public his administration is doing enough to tamp down soaring food prices including rice.
“At a time when people are struggling with high rice prices, I made an extremely inappropriate remark as the minister responsible,” said Eto. “With rice price issues now at a critical juncture, I’ve concluded that it’s no longer appropriate for me to remain in the top position handling this matter.”
Eto set off a fire storm of criticism after he said over the weekend that he had never bought rice on his own because his supporters donated so much to him. The remark angered consumers who have seen rice prices double in the past year even with the government’s release of emergency stockpiles.
He becomes the first cabinet minister to quit since Ishiba took office in October last year. Ishiba told reporters Wednesday that he’s still considering a successor to the farm minister, while local media reports suggested former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is likely to replace him.
“This is entirely my responsibility as the one who appointed him,” Ishiba said, “No matter what criticism comes, it’s something I must accept as the person who made that appointment.”
The prime minister initially backed Eto, but pulled his support just a day later, following strong criticism from both ruling and opposition parties. The Constitutional Democratic Party and four other opposition groups had agreed to demand Eto’s resignation and warned that, if he refused to step down, they would consider submitting a no-confidence motion against him.
“Ishiba clearly misread the public reaction, which was quite severe,” said Yasunari Ueno of Chief Market Economist at Mizuho Securities. “The delay in responding, even by a single day, will likely cost him some political momentum.”
Ueno added that the latest developments, which point to a weakening of the LDP, are likely to intensify political maneuvering among opposition parties ahead of the looming upper house election.
Eto’s remark fueled public anger as consumers have been grappling with persistent inflation, with the nation’s key price gauge exceeding 3% for more than four consecutive months through March. The indicator was driven in part by soaring rice prices, which surged 92% from a year earlier in March, marking the fastest pace since records began in 1971.
Ishiba’s government is facing some of its lowest support ratings since he took office as the country heads toward the upper house election in July. His government is already facing difficulties pressing ahead with its policy agenda given its lack of a majority in the lower house. A poor showing in the upper house would likely further complicate the running of the administration and add to pressure on Ishiba’s leadership.
The outgoing minister has also played a key role in ongoing trade negotiations with Washington, as boosting rice imports from the US has been floated as one possible concession Tokyo could offer in exchange for lower tariffs.
The quickest fix for high rice prices would be additional imports, a measure that could also serve as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the US, Ueno said. But opposition from LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, a former farm minister with deep ties to the agriculture lobby, makes that outcome unlikely, he indicated.
“Rice prices are likely to remain high heading into the election,” Ueno said. “And that may become the key weak spot for the LDP.” –BLOOMBERG
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