Is Prime Minister Ishiba a destroyer of Japan, not just the LDP ?
Some media outlets have created misunderstandings, but the Liberal Democratic Party(hereinafter called LDP) of Japan is actually the most diverse political party.
What’s difficult to understand is that among the parties demanding diversity from the LDP, there are parties that completely reject opinions differing from their own.
This is a perfect example of how people who impose diversity are the very ones who refuse to recognize it.
We feel that Prime Minister Ishiba is positioned quite to the left within the LDP. I believe some people share this understanding.
Therefore, we often wonder whether the policies of an Ishiba administration would truly benefit the Japanese people.
Before Prime Minister Ishiba became Prime Minister, when the then-Prime Minister was criticized, he criticized he prime minister at the time as if aligning with public opinion. (We felt he was consciously paying attention to the noisy majority’s opinions…)
Perhaps it was a statement aimed at appealing to the public.
For these reasons, it is true that some people had expectations for Prime Minister Ishiba.
Watching Prime Minister Ishiba today, I sometimes wonder if loud voices and vested interests are influencing government policy.
We are no longer in an era where tax money can be spent like water.
Of course, unlike private companies, the government needs to provide the same services to all citizens.
However, before talking about tax increases, the government should completely eliminate waste.
The issue of rice, a staple food
Rice is an important staple food for Japanese people.
This year, there was an incident where rice disappeared from supermarket shelves. Also, even where rice is available, it is being sold at significantly higher prices (roughly double the previous cost).
Several articles have covered this issue. “The Grave Sins of JA Agricultural Cooperatives and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries” (Source: RIETI) cites the cause as being the government policy of trimming rice production and increased demand due to inbound tourism. And, it points out that “the government policy of trimming rice production was the foundation for developing the JA Agricultural Cooperatives” (Source: PRESIDENT Online). Also, it states that “the increase of rice prices through t the government policy of trimming rice production helped maintain part-time farmers, combined with the JA being Japan’s only corporation that can operate both banking and other businesses, worked together perfectly to bring about the development of JA Agricultural Cooperatives” (Source: PRESIDENT Online). In addition, it predicts this trend will continue this year.
From this, it’s easy to imagine that JA agricultural cooperatives are an important base for the current administration.
Prime Minister Ishiba and other politicians likely don’t see this as a major issue because they never have to worry about meals themselves.
Or perhaps they think it’s unavoidable to protect agricultural vested interests ?
It is truly the government’s negligence that is causing people to lose access to their vital staple food.
And the government must promptly implement both short-term and long-term measures to address this staple food issue.
The issue of rice, a staple food.
Rice is an important staple food for Japanese people.
This year, there was an incident where rice disappeared from supermarket shelves. Also, even where rice is available, it is being sold at significantly higher prices (roughly double the previous cost).
Several articles have covered this issue. “The Grave Sins of JA Agricultural Cooperatives and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries” (Source: RIETI) cites the cause as being the government policy of trimming rice production and increased demand due to inbound tourism. For example, it points out that “the government policy of trimming rice production was the foundation for developing the JA Agricultural Cooperatives” (Source: PRESIDENT Online). Also, it states that “the increase of rice prices through t the government policy of trimming rice production helped maintain part-time farmers, combined with the JA being Japan’s only corporation that can operate both banking and other businesses, worked together perfectly to bring about the development of JA Agricultural Cooperatives” (Source: PRESIDENT Online). In addition, it predicts this trend will continue this year.
Long-term measures.
Long-term measures are also necessary to prevent this issue from recurring.
The Ishiba administration shows absolutely no intention of implementing long-term strategies to protect rice as a vital staple food for the Japanese people.
We believe it’s time to reconsider the government policy of trimming rice production, which has been treated as a political football.
For example, promoting the entry of new agricultural corporations that commit to “guaranteed domestic distribution” and “cooperation with government stockpiled rice.”
Additionally, we believe the government should consider fully liberalizing rice imports (completely abolishing minimum access).
While claiming to protect farmers, the result is a monopoly by JA agricultural cooperatives driven by the government (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), which is a major problem.
If import liberalization had been permitted while maintaining 100% self-sufficiency within Japan, wouldn’t this situation have been avoided ?
We understand that implementing these measures is not as simple as stated here, because it is necessary to consider the scope of their impact.
However, only the government can consider the scope of impact and then implement measures.
If the people feel that the government is not taking any action, the LDP will simply become the opposition party. But this issue concerns the survival of Japanese food culture.
However, even in the current situation where rice prices remain consistently high, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Eto of the Ishiba Cabinet has expressed opposition to expanding minimum access. Also, the JA Agricultural Cooperatives which reportedly secured 90% of the government stockpiled rice continue to maintain low shipment rates, which may indicate a desire to keep rice prices high.
Many citizens feel these actions indicate the government and JA Agricultural Cooperative are working together to prevent rice prices from falling. In other words, it makes people suspect the current administration has such significant vested interests that it would sacrifice the people.
If this is not true, then immediate action should be taken.
Reference: THE JAPAN NEWS(2025/04/23)
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/politics-government/20250418-249571/
Reference: NHK WORLD (2025/04/23)
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/3949
Reference: CNN WORLD(2025/04/22)
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/06/asia/rice-prices-japan-strategic-reserve-intl-hnk/index.html
Reference: NHK WORLD(2025/04/26)
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250425_15
Thanks.
2025/04/26