Nearly 60% expect rice prices to fall with new farm minister: poll
KYODO NEWS - 19 minutes ago - 21:27 | All, Japan
Nearly 60 percent of Japanese believe soaring rice prices will fall with the appointment of a new farm minister, following his predecessor's sacking over a controversial remark about being gifted rice that angered consumers, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
In the two-day telephone poll conducted from Saturday, 59.8 percent expressed such expectations, while 35.1 percent said they do not believe there would be any such changes with Shinjiro Koizumi at the helm of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The son of a former prime minister is regarded as a young leadership hopeful in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The average price of rice sold at Japanese supermarkets has remained roughly twice as high as a year earlier, partly due to poor harvest caused by the hot summer of 2023.
It hit a record 4,268 yen ($30) per 5 kilograms during the week from May 5 to May 11, even though the government took countermeasures such as releasing its stockpiles to stabilize supply.
The survey also showed 44.7 percent believe rice prices should be brought below 3,000 yen per 5 kg, lower than recently pledged by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. That contrasts with 45.0 percent who believe the target rice price rollback is "appropriate," with only 7.6 percent saying the prices should be set higher.
Koizumi said Friday the government plans to sell its stockpiled rice to retailers through direct contracts, bypassing auctions that have prevented government control over prices, and aims to make it available in stores at 2,000 yen per 5 kg.
According to the poll, 42.2 percent said the removal of then farm minister Taku Eto on Wednesday, three days after the gaffe was made, came too late.
Eto came under fire after saying at a fundraising event on May 18 that he has "never had to buy rice" because he receives so much of it from supporters. The comment drew criticism from consumers and lawmakers for being tone-deaf at a time when many households are struggling under rampant rice price inflation.
Ishiba initially sought to retain Eto but eventually caved in to opposition pressure.
Support for Ishiba's Cabinet rose to 31.7 percent, up 4.3 percentage points from the previous weekend's survey according to the poll. The disapproval rating stood at 52.6 percent, compared with 55.1 percent.
Asked about how long Ishiba should remain as prime minister, 25.6 percent said they want him to resign at the earliest possible date, with 31.1 percent saying they want him to stay on until the House of Councillors election set for this summer and 22.2 percent saying "another year." Those wanting him in the post as long as possible accounted for 17.2 percent.
As for the upper house election, 28.6 percent said they would vote for the LDP in the contest's proportional representation section while 14.3 percent expressed support for the Democratic Party for the People, an opposition party.
Around 13.6 percent said they would vote for the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, 6.3 percent for the Japan Innovation Party and 5.2 percent for the anti-establishment Reiwa Shinsengumi in the election.
When asked which party they support, the poll showed 28.4 percent back the LDP, 12.1 percent the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, 14.1 percent the Democratic Party for the People and 6.5 percent the Japan Innovation Party, while 19.4 percent said they had "no party to support."
The nationwide survey called 584 randomly selected households with eligible voters and 3,908 mobile phone numbers, yielding responses from 435 household members and 629 mobile phone users.
Related coverage:
Japan public express ire over farm minister out-of-touch rice remarks
FOCUS: Free rice gaffe sends Ishiba into pre-election damage control mode
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