How a joke about rice cost a Japan cabinet minister his job

Quick Summary:

Soaring rice prices are a powerful trigger in Japan, where shortages have caused political upsets before.

When Japan's farm minister declared that he never had to buy rice because his supporters give him "plenty" of it as gifts, he hoped to draw laughs.

The law was abolished that year but the agriculture ministry continues to publish demand estimates so farmers can avoid producing a glut of rice.

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Article Details

Category: Business

Markets: United KingdomIndiaJapanNorth KoreaSouth Korea

Topics: Rice Demand Government Farmers Prices Year Says Japan Been Production

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Negative

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-05-21 @ 21:40:22 (17 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT +0:00

News Source URL: bbc.com

Language: English

Article Length: 1226 words

Reading Time: 7 minutes read

Sentences: 46 lines

Sentence Length: 27 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © BBC Business

News ID: 28895209

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Official Website: bbc.co.uk

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