Amid soaring rice prices in Japan, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, responsible for rice policy, caused controversy by stating, "I have never bought rice."
According to Kyodo News and NHK on the 19th, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Taku Eto mentioned reserve rice during a ruling Liberal Democratic Party fundraising event held the previous day in Saga City, Saga Prefecture, saying, "I have never bought rice. Supporters give me a lot of rice. I have enough at home to sell."
Kyodo News predicted that criticism would pour in due to inappropriate remarks amid increasing public burden from rising rice prices. Recently in Japan, rice prices have more than doubled compared to the same period last year, leading various school meal providers to reduce rice menu items and households to increasingly purchase expensive small packages of 1 kg or 2 kg of rice.
Following the remarks, criticism intensified online and in the political arena, prompting Eto to eventually apologize, saying, "To say I have enough to sell was an excessive statement" and noted, "I lacked consideration for consumers." He added, "I regularly purchase rice" and expressed regret, saying, "I feel very sorry for causing commotion with remarks that are different from the reality." However, he hinted that he would not resign from his ministerial position.
The government has released reserve rice to increase the supply, but rice prices in Japan have not significantly decreased. Last month, Japan's Consumer Price Index (CPI) for rice products rose by 92.1% compared to the same month last year. This marks the largest increase since 1971. In a public opinion poll conducted by Kyodo News from the 17th to the 18th of this month, 87.1% of respondents evaluated that the government's policies regarding the sharp increase in rice prices were insufficient.