Is Prime Minister Ishiba the destroyer of the Liberal Democratic Party? Or the destroyer of Japan? #1
Some people may misunderstand due to some media reports, but the Liberal Democratic Party(hereinafter called LDP) of Japan is a political party with a diverse membership.
What is strange is that some of the political parties that claim that LDP should accept diversity completely reject opinions that differ from their own…
This is a fine example of how imposing diversity can lead to discrimination.
We feel that Prime Minister Ishiba is quite left-wing within LDP. We believe there are others who share this view.
For this reason, we often think that the government’s policies are not really for the benefit of the Japanese people.
Before Mr. Ishiba became prime minister, when the prime minister at the time was criticized, he would sometimes comment that his way of thinking was different. (I felt that he was being influenced by the noisy majority…)
For this reason, we think there were people who had high hopes for Prime Minister Ishiba.
Looking at Prime Minister Ishiba now, we sometimes feel that loud claims and vested interests are influencing his government policy.
Nowadays, the government cannot spend tax money 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 is the situation where supermarkets are unable to stock rice. Even when rice is available, it is sold at a significantly higher price (about twice the usual price).
There have been several articles about this rice issue, and “The Grave Sins of JA Agricultural Cooperatives and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries” (source: RIETI) cites the the government policy of trimming rice production and the increase in demand due to inbound tourism as the causes. For example, it is pointed out that “ the government policy of trimming rice production was the foundation for the development of JA Agricultural Cooperatives” (source: PRESIDENT Online), and additionally, “the increase of rice prices through t the government policy of trimming rice production helped maintain part-time farmers, and contributed to the development of JA Agricultural Cooperatives, the only corporation in Japan that can operate a banking business” (source: PRESIDENT Online). Furthermore, this issue is expected to continue this year as well.
Prime Minister Ishiba and other politicians may not consider the issue to be a major problem because they themselves do not have to worry about food.
Or maybe they think it is necessary to protect agricultural interests.
It is the government’s negligence that is causing the people to lose access to their staple food.
The government must take immediate short-term and long-term measures to address this issue.
Possible short-term measures include releasing the government stockpiled rice and taking action against hoarding for resale.
Do you think this release of the government stockpiled rice reserves is sufficient ?
For example, many people may feel that the response lacks a sense of urgency, considering the length of time until the release and the amount of rice to have been released.
Next is the action to be taken against individuals and groups who hoard rice for resale.
The government sould take a consistently firm line on hoarding for resale. It should be clear by now that we cannot rely on the theory of good nature. Is there a reason why the government is hesitant to take measures through laws and regulations ?
The government needs to take long-term measures to prevent this issue from recurring.
The Ishihara administration shows no sign of taking long-term measures to ensure a stable supply of this important staple food for the Japanese people.
It is time to reconsider the government policy of trimming rice production, which has been used as a political football.
For example, the government can promote the entry of new agricultural corporations into the market by requiring them to guarantee “stable domestic distribution” and “cooperation with the government stockpiled rice.”
Furthermore, it is time to consider completely liberalizing rice imports (completely abolishing minimum access).
It is a big problem that, while claiming to protect farmers, the government (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) has created a monopoly for the JA agricultural cooperatives.
If liberalization of rice imports had been allowed and a 100% self-sufficiency rate had been maintaining domestically, this situation would not have occurred.
We understand that implementing 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 measures, the LDP will just become one of the opposition parties, but this issue is related to the very 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 Ishihara Cabinet has opposed expanding minimum access, and JA Agricultural Cooperative, which is said to have secured 90% of the government stockpiled rice through auctions, continues to maintain a low rice shipment rate.
These responses give the people a strong impression that the government and JA Agricultural Cooperatives are working closely together. In other words, it makes people feel that the current administration has so much vested interest that it is willing to discard 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