The Agriculture Minister of Japan said-There was no need to buy rice because his supporters always give him rice as a gift.

Tokyo
Japan's Agriculture Minister Taku Eto resigned on Wednesday due to his unfair remarks on buying rice. The people of the country are troubled by high prices of traditional main food. During a seminar on Sunday in Saga province, Eto said that he never needed to buy rice as his supporters always give him rice as a gift. His remarks were considered insensitive to people troubled by rice inflation in the country.

After the resignation, Eto said, "When consumers are troubled by rising prices of rice, my comment was extremely unfair. I have submitted my resignation to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, which he has accepted." He apologized to the public and withdrew the statement and said that he himself buys rice. According to media reports, former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi can be appointed instead of Eto. Opposition parties had warned to bring a motion of no confidence against Eto over rice shortage and rising prices.

Rice shortage in Japan began in August 2024 when the government asked the citizens to prepare after an earthquake warning. Fearful of this, people bought huge amount of rice. There was some relief after the autumn crop, but in the beginning of 2025 again, the scarcity increased and prices rose again. Authorities blamed the increase in poor crop, fertilizer and production costs in the heat of 2023 for this. Some experts also blame the government's long -term rice production policy.