VOX POPULI: Abrupt swerve in the government's rice policy is unnerving
But the bus driver maintained that he was 'going fast enough' and didn't want to exceed the speed limit. He even braked repeatedly.
And now, the driver says he is going to step on the gas. Huh?
On Aug. 5, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced a major change in the nation's rice policy—from 'don't produce (rice)' to 'produce (rice).'
His call for increased rice production signified a de facto switch from the government's long-established policy of curtailing rice production.
Since last summer, the farm ministry has repeatedly insisted that there was 'enough rice.'
However, an inspection reportedly revealed that rice was in short supply.
Until the price of white rice doubled, the government remained unable to assess the volume of rice in circulation and estimate the demand. What a surprise.
To return to the bus analogy, I suppose that the speed displayed on the driver's speedometer differed from the actual speed of the bus.
In the first place, the government's traditional rice production curtailment policy always benefited rice farmers who minimized their output. And this served, without a doubt, to 'distort' their relationship with the free market.
And now, the government is suddenly telling them to produce more rice. Things could certainly get a bit difficult in the days ahead.
An old Chinese saying goes to the effect, 'For the emperor, the people are everything; for the people, food is everything.'
It is probably a timeless and universal truism that the people will turn their backs on the rulers who fail to solve food-related issues.
Where is our bus going? A fight has already begun over who is going to sit in the driver's seat, making the journey quite precarious.
Is the bus going straight ahead, or will it swerve to the right or the left? We, the passengers, are growing really anxious.
—The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 7
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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