How a joke about rice value a Japan cupboard minister his job

[ad_1] Mariko Oi Enterprise reporter

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/7883/live/bdefd3c0-369a-11f0-bb94-dfa17a7672b5.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/7883/live/bdefd3c0-369a-11f0-bb94-dfa17a7672b5.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7883/live/bdefd3c0-369a-11f0-bb94-dfa17a7672b5.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/7883/live/bdefd3c0-369a-11f0-bb94-dfa17a7672b5.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/7883/live/bdefd3c0-369a-11f0-bb94-dfa17a7672b5.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/7883/live/bdefd3c0-369a-11f0-bb94-dfa17a7672b5.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/7883/live/bdefd3c0-369a-11f0-bb94-dfa17a7672b5.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7883/live/bdefd3c0-369a-11f0-bb94-dfa17a7672b5.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Reuters Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Taku Eto speaks to the media after a meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba over his controversial comments about receiving rice from supporters, Tokyo, Japan 19 May, 2025." class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Reuters Taku Eto's feedback that he by no means had to purchase rice brought about outrage

When Japan's farm minister declared that he by no means had to purchase rice as a result of his supporters give him "loads" of it as presents, he hoped to attract laughs.

As an alternative Taku Eto drew outrage - and sufficient of it to pressure him to resign.

Japan is dealing with its first cost-of-living crisis in decades , which is hitting a beloved staple: rice. The worth has greater than doubled within the final 12 months, and imported varieties are few and much between.

Eto apologised, saying he had gone "too far" together with his feedback on Sunday at a neighborhood fundraiser. He resigned after opposition events threatened a no-confidence movement in opposition to him.

His ousting offers a contemporary blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's minority authorities, which was already scuffling with falling public help.

Rice could be a highly effective set off in Japan, the place shortages have brought about political upsets earlier than. Riots over the hovering value of rice even toppled a authorities in 1918.

So it is not that shocking that rice costs have a job in Ishiba's plummeting approval scores.

"Politicians do not go to supermarkets to do their grocery buying so they do not perceive," 31-year-old Memori Higuchi tells the BBC from her residence in Yokohama.

Ms Higuchi is a first-time mom of a seven-month-old. Good meals for her postnatal restoration has been essential, and her daughter will quickly begin consuming strong meals.

"I need her to eat nicely so if costs preserve going up, we might have to scale back the quantity of rice my husband and I eat."

A expensive error?

It is a easy concern of provide and demand, agricultural economist Kunio Nishikawa of Ibaraki College says.

However he believes it was brought on by a authorities miscalculation.

Till 1995, the federal government managed the quantity of rice farmers produced by working intently with agricultural cooperatives. The legislation was abolished that 12 months however the agriculture ministry continues to publish demand estimates so farmers can keep away from producing a glut of rice.

However, Prof Nishikawa says, they bought it incorrect in 2023 and 2024. They estimated the demand to be 6.8m tonnes, whereas the precise demand, he provides, was 7.05m tonnes.

Demand for rice went up due to extra vacationers visiting Japan and an increase in individuals consuming out after the pandemic.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/befe/live/66eef530-3062-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/befe/live/66eef530-3062-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/befe/live/66eef530-3062-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/befe/live/66eef530-3062-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/befe/live/66eef530-3062-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/befe/live/66eef530-3062-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/befe/live/66eef530-3062-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/befe/live/66eef530-3062-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images A supermarket worker put up a sign informing customers purchasing rice to buy only one bag per person in Tokyo." class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Getty Photos Many shops are asking clients to purchase just one bag per individual or household to keep away from empty cabinets

However precise manufacturing was even decrease than the estimate: 6.61m tonnes, Prof Nishikawa says.

"It's true that the demand for rice jumped, as a consequence of a number of components - together with the truth that rice was comparatively reasonably priced in comparison with different meals objects and an increase within the variety of abroad guests," a spokesperson for the agriculture ministry instructed the BBC.

"The standard of rice wasn't nice as a consequence of unusually excessive temperatures which additionally resulted in decrease rice manufacturing."

Rising rice is not worthwhile

Rice farmers have been unable to make sufficient cash for a few years, says 59-year-old Kosuke Kasahara, whose household have been in farming for generations.

He explains that it prices roughly 18,500 yen ($125.70; £94.60) to supply 60kg of rice however the cooperative in his space of Niigata on the west coast of Japan supplied to purchase it final 12 months at 19,000 yen.

"Till three or 4 years in the past, the federal government would even supply monetary incentives to municipalities that agreed to scale back rice manufacturing," he provides.

The ministry spokesperson confirms that the federal government has supplied subsidies to these selecting to supply wheat or soybeans as an alternative of rice.

In the meantime, youthful farmers have been selecting to supply several types of rice which can be used for sake, rice crackers or fed to livestock as a result of demand for rice in Japan had been falling till final 12 months.

"I bought bored with combating retailers or eating places that wished me to promote rice cheaply for a few years," says Shinya Tabuchi.

However that is been flipped on its head, with the going price for 60kg of rice in the present day at 40,000 to 50,000 yen.

Whereas increased costs are dangerous information for customers, it means many struggling farmers will lastly be capable of become profitable.

However as the general public grew indignant with the surge, the federal government auctioned a few of its emergency reserves of rice in March to attempt to carry costs down.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/0d6a/live/6edc9210-3063-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/0d6a/live/6edc9210-3063-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/0d6a/live/6edc9210-3063-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/0d6a/live/6edc9210-3063-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/0d6a/live/6edc9210-3063-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/0d6a/live/6edc9210-3063-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/0d6a/live/6edc9210-3063-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/0d6a/live/6edc9210-3063-11f0-9162-71a9661a21c4.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images Owner of Onigiri Bongo, a shop specialising in rice balls known as "onigiri"" class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Getty Photos Rice, a Japanese staple, has brought about political upsets earlier than

Many nations have strategic reserves - stockpiles of significant items - of crude oil or pure fuel to arrange for distinctive circumstances. In Asia, many governments even have stockpiles of rice.

Lately, Japan's rice stockpile had solely been tapped within the wake of pure disasters.

"The federal government has at all times instructed us that they'd not launch its emergency rice shares to manage the value so we felt betrayed," Mr Tabuchi says.

Regardless of the federal government's uncommon determination to launch rice, costs have continued to rise.

Tackling hovering costs

The price of rice can also be hovering in South East Asia, which accounts for nearly 30% of world rice manufacturing - financial, political and local weather pressures have resulted in shortages in recent times.

In Japan although the difficulty has change into so critical that the nation has begun importing rice from South Korea for the primary time in 1 / 4 of a century, despite the fact that customers favor homegrown varieties.

PM Ishiba has additionally hinted at increasing imports of US rice as his authorities continues to barter a commerce take care of Washington.

However customers like Ms Higuchi say they're unlikely to purchase non-Japanese rice.

"We have been saying native manufacturing for native consumption for a very long time," she says. "There must be a manner for Japanese farmers to be worthwhile and customers to really feel protected by with the ability to afford home-grown produce."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/fb0b/live/e982e840-3223-11f0-893a-bbf2f4c847b3.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/fb0b/live/e982e840-3223-11f0-893a-bbf2f4c847b3.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/fb0b/live/e982e840-3223-11f0-893a-bbf2f4c847b3.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/fb0b/live/e982e840-3223-11f0-893a-bbf2f4c847b3.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/fb0b/live/e982e840-3223-11f0-893a-bbf2f4c847b3.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/fb0b/live/e982e840-3223-11f0-893a-bbf2f4c847b3.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/fb0b/live/e982e840-3223-11f0-893a-bbf2f4c847b3.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/fb0b/live/e982e840-3223-11f0-893a-bbf2f4c847b3.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Memori Higuchi Memori Higuchi feeding her 7-month-old baby." class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Memori Higuchi First time mom Memori Higuchi says she hesitates to purchase non-Japanese rice

This divides opinion amongst farmers.

"You could hear that the business is ageing and shrinking however that's not essentially true," says Mr Tabuchi, who believes the sector has been too protected by the federal government.

"Many aged farmers can afford to promote rice cheaply as a result of they've pensions and belongings however the youthful technology has to have the ability to become profitable. As an alternative of guaranteeing the earnings of all of the farmers and distorting the market, the federal government ought to let unprofitable farmers fail."

Mr Kasahara disagrees: "Farming in rural areas like ours is about being a part of a group. If we let these farmers fail, our areas can be in ruins."

He argues the federal government ought to set a assured shopping for worth of 32,000 to 36,000 yen per 60kg of rice which is decrease than in the present day's worth however nonetheless permits farmers to be worthwhile.

And given what occurred to Eto, it is usually a delicate matter for politicians.

The nation is because of maintain a key nationwide election this summer time so pleasing each customers and farmers - particularly the aged in each camps who are inclined to vote extra - is essential.