Japan’s Agriculture Minister, Taku Eto, resigned on Wednesday following public backlash over a controversial comment in which he claimed he received so much rice from supporters that he didn’t need to buy any — a statement widely criticized as tone-deaf amid soaring rice prices.
Eto later issued an apology, but the damage had been done. His comment sparked outrage as consumers across the country grapple with rising food costs.
In response to the crisis, the government released around 300,000 tonnes of stockpiled rice between March and April in a bid to stabilize prices, local media reported.
According to data from the Agriculture Ministry, the volume of rice secured by major distributors at the end of January was down by 230,000 tonnes compared to the previous year, despite an overall increase in the national rice harvest.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had initially resisted calls for Eto’s dismissal but eventually accepted the resignation under mounting pressure from opposition parties and the public.
– dpa
