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Japan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations
The Japan International Cooperation Agency is set to designate at least four cities in the country as 'hometowns' for certain nations in Africa at the 2025 Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), scheduled to begin on Wednesday. The agency, which assists with implementing development assistance in developing countries, will assign the city of Nagai in Yamagata Prefecture to Tanzania, the city of Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture to Nigeria, the city of Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture to Ghana and the city of Imabari in Ehime Prefecture to Mozambique. Through the arrangement, Japan looks to strengthen exchanges with the respective African countries by officially connecting municipalities that already have existing relations with those nations. Having such ties that serve as a foundation for two-way exchanges of human resources will contribute to Japan's national interest in fostering personnel who can be a link to Africa, given expectations that the continent's population will play a key role in global development as it continues to grow. Local authorities hope that the designations would lead to an increase in their cities' populations, which would contribute toward their regional revitalization efforts. Discussions among the related parties, such as the mayors of the cities and embassy representatives from the four countries, are set to be held on Thursday during the three-day run of TICAD. The event, which first began in 1993 as an international conference centering on the theme of development in Africa, will mark its ninth opening in Yokohama on Wednesday. The previous conference was held in Tunisia in 2022. Between Wednesday and Friday, various symposiums as well as meetings and seminars will be held.
BBC News
20-07-2025
- BBC News
Travelling to Japan this summer? Beat the heat with these cooling dishes
From chilled ramen to flowing noodles caught with chopsticks, these regional specialties blend flavour, fun and centuries of heat-beating wisdom. In recent years, Japan's scorching summer weather has become increasingly intense and heat exhaustion can quickly sap the joy out of a trip. Fortunately, nearly every region in Japan has developed its own unique cooling dishes rooted in local climate, culture and ancient wisdom. From north to south, residents have adapted their diets with regional shokibarai (literally: "beating the summer heat") meals. Some are served chilled to lower body temperature, while others feature hydrating ingredients like pickled vegetables or digestion-friendly broths. From icy noodles to refreshing rice cakes, each dish shows how cuisine and climate are deeply intertwined in Japan. Here are eight mouthwatering foods to try as temperatures rise. North Chilled ramen Japan's northern Yamagata Prefecture is renowned as one of the country's ramen capitals, boasting the nation's highest consumption per household. Among the region's many distinctive noodle dishes, hiyashi ramen (chilled ramen) stands out as a uniquely summery specialty. Both the noodles and soy sauce-based broth are served cold, sometimes with ice cubes floating in the bowl. "Even on scorching days, I find myself willing to wait in line for a bowl," says Chihiro Hasegawa, who lives in Yamagata City. Ririka Hirabuki, another Yamagata resident, echoes this thought. "It's a must-have flavour during Yamagata's hot summers," she says. "On especially hot days, I crave it even more!" Hiyashi ramen was created in 1952 by the owner of Sakaeya Honten, a Yamagata noodle shop, after a customer suggested that if soba could be served cold in summer, why not ramen, too? So, the shop's original owner, Senshiro Abe, set out to create a broth that would stay flavourful and fluid without the fat congealing, even when chilled. According to Toshihiro Suzuki, tourism director at Yamagata Prefecture Tourism and Products Association, Yamagata's location inspired this innovation. "It's a basin city, and summers are brutally hot," he says. "In fact, Yamagata once held the record for Japan's highest temperature – 40.8C in 1933." What began as one man's invention has become a regional icon served in diners and noodle shops throughout the region every summer. Zunda mochi In the city of Sendai, summer isn't complete without a serving of zunda mochi, a strikingly green rice cake made with mashed edamame. The beans are boiled, peeled and lightly mashed with sugar and salt to create a textured, nutty-sweet paste that is generously spooned over freshly pounded mochi. According to Takeshi Ito, a Sendai-based mochi shop owner and self-described "zunda evangelist", the dish is more than just a sweet. "Zunda mochi is a perfect match of nutrition and tradition," he says. "The mochi provides quick energy through its easily digestible carbohydrates, while the edamame paste is packed with protein and vitamins like B1 and B2, ideal for recovering from summer fatigue." Some shops even offer a chilled version in summer, known as hiyashi zunda, designed to be served cold for an added cooling effect. This refreshing, high-protein treat has long been a seasonal staple in Miyagi Prefecture, often served during mid-summer family gatherings and festivals. It's also visually distinctive: the vibrant green of the edamame contrasts beautifully with the pure white of the mochi underneath. Today, zunda has gone beyond mochi and found new life in a variety of modern sweets, from zunda milkshakes and parfaits to zunda soft-serve ice cream. East Yanagawa nabe In the sticky Tokyo summer heat, one centuries-old dish still promises nourishment and nostalgia: Yanagawa nabe. This hotpot features deboned freshwater loach (dojo) simmered in a sweet-and-savoury soy broth with burdock root (gobo), then finished with a layer of beaten egg, forming a silky, golden topping. Despite being served hot, it's long been considered a restorative summer dish, as it's packed with nutrients that help replenish energy, support digestion and fortify the body against the heat. Once seen as a working-class dish, Yanagawa nabe remains a local delicacy, especially in Tokyo, where certain restaurants have preserved its original recipe for generations. "Some foreign visitors don't seem to know what dojo are," says Chieko Hirai of the eponymous eatery Hirai. "When they see them alive, some even leave before ordering. But loach are incredibly nutritious and they really help you beat the Tokyo heat." According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, loach and burdock were both prized during Japan's Edo period (1603-1868) for their ability to replenish energy and stamina – qualities especially valued in the draining summer months. Loach is rich in protein, iron and vitamins, which can support metabolism and help combat fatigue, while burdock is thought to have cooling properties in traditional East Asian medicine. Combined in a hot, easy-to-digest broth, Yanagawa nabe is a restorative dish that revives body and spirit after a long day in the heat. Mizu manju Gifu Prefecture provides a cooling antidote to the heat with mizu manju (jewel-like sweets filled with red bean paste and chilled in spring water). Its delicate, translucent skin is made from powdered kudzu (a starch derived from the root of a fast-growing vine) and bracken starch, which becomes elastic and slightly chewy when steamed and then chilled. The result is a dessert that looks like a raindrop and melts gently on the tongue. This elegant summer treat hails from Ogaki, which is often called the "City of Water" for its abundant underground springs. The dessert originated in the Meiji era (1868-1912), when locals used idobune (well boats) to cool produce before refrigerators were common. Leveraging this cold-water tradition, confectioners began making mizu manju as a seasonal indulgence and a celebration of summer itself. Just as produce floated in the well boats, these glassy confections now float in display tanks at local sweet shops – a cherished seasonal sight that marks the arrival of summer. "In the peak of summer, people often lose their appetite, but mizu manju goes down smoothly," says Motoyoshi Matsushita, head of the Ogaki Confectionery Association's youth division. "The starches we use, like kudzu and agar, are gentle on the stomach, and the natural sweetness of the bean paste helps quickly restore energy." West Mizunasu In Japan's western Kansai region, summer refreshment comes from the astonishingly crisp and juicy mizunasu (water aubergine). Native to the coastal Senshu area south of Osaka, this variety is prized for its mild flavour, high water content and paper-thin skin, so delicate it can be eaten raw or sliced into delicate pickles known as asazuke. One place preserving the tradition of cultivating mizunasu is Kitano Farm. "Our mizunasu is as juicy as fruit and faintly sweet, so special that it's one of the rare aubergines in Japan that you can enjoy raw, like sashimi," says Tadakiyo Kitano, the farm's representative. Farmers have grown mizunasu here since the Edo period, enjoying it as a natural thirst quencher during hot afternoons in the fields. The pickled version, made by briefly soaking the aubergine in rice bran or lightly seasoned brine, is still a staple in local homes. "Traditionally, mizunasu is mostly enjoyed as nukazuke, or rice bran pickles. But my personal recommendation is wrapping it with prosciutto to highlight its fresh, delicate flavour," Kitano says. Uji kintoki In Kyoto's heat, few things offer relief like Uji kintoki, a matcha-flavoured shaved ice dessert named after the famed tea-producing town of Uji. This refined take on kakigori (Japanese shaved ice) starts with fluffy, snow-like ice drizzled with vivid green matcha syrup and topped with ogura an (a sweet red bean paste made from azuki beans). Other classic toppings include shiratama dango (mochi balls), green tea ice cream or a splash of sweetened condensed milk, turning a simple dish into a parfait-like work of with mizunasu and Yanagawa nabe, the dessert has roots in the Edo era, when sugar, shaved ice and powdered tea were rare luxuries enjoyed by nobility and warlords. According to one theory, the sweet-toothed shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu, who ruled from 1603 to 1605, added red bean paste to matcha-sweetened ice, laying the foundation for the dish. This green-hued classic is a seasonal highlight at Kyoto cafes and teahouses, where it's served in glass bowls to showcase its layers. For travellers braving Kyoto's midsummer humidity, a bowl of Uji kintoki offers both cooling relief along with a delicious glimpse into Japan's long love affair with tea. South Nagashi somen Nagashi somen ("flowing noodles") is less a meal than a hot-weather ritual. At the height of Japan's steamy summer season, diners gather around long bamboo chutes where chilled somen noodles come sliding down streams of cold spring water. Armed with chopsticks, children and adults then try to catch the noodles before they slip away. Though now enjoyed across Japan, nagashi somen traces its roots to the mountain town of Takachiho in Miyazaki Prefecture. The idea is said to have originated when local newspaper correspondents stationed here in the 1950s were cooling off during summer fieldwork by eating freshly boiled noodles that had been chilled in the cold river water. Inspired by this scene, a local restaurant owner formalised the practice in 1955 by building bamboo channels to send noodles rushing through ice-cold spring water from nearby Takachiho Gorge. That restaurant, Chihonoie, still stands today and is widely credited as the birthplace of commercial nagashi somen. Set against the backdrop of lush forests and waterfalls, it offers an immersive culinary experience with water splashing and communal laughter when someone misses their noodles yet again. More like this:• India's cooling summer dish that costs less than a dollar• Thailand's cooling rice dish to beat the heat• Sichuan peppercorn: A Chinese spice so hot it cools Once caught, the noodles are dipped in tsuyu (a chilled, umami-rich sauce made from soy, mirin and dashi) then slurped down between bites of tempura or cool slices of cucumber. "It's the perfect dish for summer when the heat dulls your appetite," says Ishi Take, director at Chihonoie. "Nagashi somen is light, refreshing and easy to eat – even when [it's so hot outside that] nothing else sounds appealing."He adds, "We get all kinds of visitors here – parents with kids, couples, even travellers from overseas. Everyone gathers around the bamboo flumes, laughing and trying to catch the noodles. It's not just a meal; it's a shared summer memory." Kanzarashi In Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture – another so-called "City of Water" for its crystal-clear springs – locals have long cooled off with kanzarashi: small, glutinous rice flour dumplings served in a chilled sugar syrup. This traditional sweet dates back centuries when locals ground their rice into flour to stretch their supply. To keep it from spoiling during the hot summer months, they formed the flour into dumplings, cooled them in spring water and served them with syrup. Over time, the region's abundant sugar production gave rise to this elegant seasonal dessert, served cold to welcome summer guests. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Japan Times
17-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi's policies
Long regarded as a key support base for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, farming communities across Japan are increasingly showing signs of distress. After spending months in the eye of the storm — with the price of rice making headlines and fueling debates in parliament — rice producers feel left in a limbo. Yamagata Prefecture, the country's fourth largest rice producer, is no exception to this trend. Standing in front of a crowd of 1,500 people in the city of Shinjo on July 3, the day the Upper House election campaigns kicked off, farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi promised rice producers he was on their side. 'I am sure we can achieve both: consumers will be able to buy rice without any worry, while rice farmers will be able to secure a (stable) income and increase production,' he said. As he stumped for Rika Ouchi, the LDP's candidate in the Yamagata constituency, Koizumi exuded confidence. Since taking office in May, Koizumi has gone to great lengths to score some early political points. While his predecessor spent months hesitating to release stockpiled rice to cool prices and tackle what many saw as a shortage in the crop, in his first week at the ministry Koizumi radically changed course and pushed through with no-bid contracts. For decades, officials sought to reduce rice production to stabilize prices and cope with dwindling consumption. Although the policy formally came to an end in 2018, farmers are still allocated a rice quota by the prefectural government in coordination with agricultural cooperatives. But now, the days of limiting rice production are over, Koizumi said. The government is now aggressively pushing for higher production — a step seen as essential to boost self-sufficiency, cut costs and lay the foundation for a profitable sector able to win the hearts of foreign consumers. Independent candidate Michiya Haga speaks in front of his supporters in Tendo, Yamagata, on Monday | GABRIELE NINIVAGGI In a country where fields tend to be small, especially in mountainous areas, Koizumi has advocated for land consolidation and optimization of rice production. Total rice production for this year is projected to rise by 560,000 tons from last year, he wrote on X on Monday. Meanwhile, LDP members' assessment of the farm minister's first two months in office is scathing. 'He wanted to be in the media spotlight right when popular anger on the price of rice was peaking,' said Takuya Oyama, 44, the owner of a 10-acre family-run farm in Murayama city, eastern Yamagata. Voicing his disapproval of Koizumi's direct mention of his thoughts on what the price of stockpiled rice should be, he went on: 'He capitalized on the momentum, but I don't think the government had set any clear policy on prices at the time.' Like Oyama and many others, Kiyoshi Shibata, 43, the head of an incorporated farm in Murayama, has long complied with requests to reduce acreage allocated to rice. 'It's hard to know what to expect next,' said Shibata, lamenting the gap between political decision-making and the day-to-day realities in the field. After some of the farmers around him quit due to age or low profitability, Shibata has amassed rice fields as large as 35 hectares, which he now tends to with six employees. Although high rice prices provided them much needed financial breathing room, Shibata questioned the popular wisdom that rice should be cheap. 'These days, every industry is taking measures to cope with inflation and rising prices,' he said. 'I find it puzzling that, when it comes to rice, people say it's too expensive and the government should enforce some sort of price cap.' So far, the government has released 810,000 tons of stockpiled rice — although only portions of that amount have reached consumers. Once that happens, government reserves will stand at 150,000 tons. After falling below ¥4,000 for the first time in over two months, the average supermarket price of a 5-kilogram bag dipped further to ¥3,602 in the week through June 30, the agriculture ministry announced Monday. Liberal Democratic Party candidate Rika Ouchi campaigns in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture on Monday. | Rika Ouchi's X account Oyama echoed Shibata's thoughts. 'I understand people feel rice is expensive,' Oyama said. 'At the same time, I also want them to understand the reality of what it takes to grow rice and the costs it requires.' In 2023, a Japanese farm earned an average annual income of around ¥1.14 million ($7,660), up 16% from 2022. In graying Yamagata, where farmers averaged 67 years of age in 2020, Oyama and Shibata represent the future leaders of agricultural communities. Both express pride in producing Tsuyahime, Yamagata's signature rice brand. Thanks to strong backing from the prefecture, Tsuyahime is rapidly establishing a presence nationwide, they say. The dire straits of the LDP However, discontent over Koizumi's methods appears to have amplified long-held frustrations many in rural communities harbored toward the LDP. In the last Lower House election, the LDP seized all three Yamagata constituencies, but in the last three Upper House polls, the opposition triumphed. In the 2016 Upper House election, when Koizumi championed reforming agricultural cooperatives as chairman of the LDP's agricultural committee, the party lost five out of six single-seat races in the Tohoku region — including Yamagata. A former member of the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly, Ouchi runs under the slogan 'Third time's the charm.' It's her third attempt to reboot her political career, after an unsuccessful bid for local governor in 2021 and for the other Upper House seat a year later. This time, she has secured the backing of the local branch of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) as well as a majority of the prefecture's mayors. In her speeches, she says that she has never lost faith in her ability to make it. On Thursday, Koizumi campaigned next to Ouchi a second time. While he helps as a volunteer for Ouchi's campaign, Shibata said he's unsure of which party to vote for — maybe Sanseito, he said. In the Yamagata constituency, Sanseito has fielded Tomoaki Sato, the head of a local auto parts company. Protest vote or simple disillusionment? Other opposition parties are also riding the wave of brewing farmers' discontent against the LDP. 'What I've felt most since the start of the campaign is the intensity of the farmers' anger. They come to me and ask me if there's anything I can do with Koizumi,' incumbent Michiya Haga told his supporters in a speech in the city of Tendo on Monday evening. Haga is running as an independent supported by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and union confederation Rengo. Unlike in 2019, when he was first elected, he can't count on the support of the Japanese Communist Party, whose own candidate, Osamu Miidera, is fighting his own battle. A number of early polls have suggested Haga — a former newscaster affiliated with the DPP and well-known across the prefecture — is leading the race for the seat. Building on the platforms of the two parties, Haga is calling for a system to provide direct subsidies to farmers — an updated version of a measure already implemented during the government of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan. 'Let's bring back policies that can allow farmers to have hopes and dreams,' Haga told the audience. Shota Kawase stands in front of his rice field in the Higashimurayama district of Yamagata Prefecture. | GABRIELE NINIVAGGI It's hard to imagine, however, how such a system would help reverse the disillusionment farming communities have toward politicians. 'If they need to take the money away from something else to do that, then it's better to avoid it in the first place,' said Shibata. 'When they propose something like that, that means they'll take money somewhere else,' said Yoshio Kakimoto, 68, a farmer and the owner of a shop selling rice and agricultural chemicals in Shinjo. Kakimoto said he hasn't made up his mind over who to vote for in the upcoming elections. 'No politician really knows much about agricultural policy,' he said. 'During elections, they all talk about farming policy, but once it's over, it all stops. I don't see how any of the parties would really care and work for us.' That same dissatisfaction with the current state of things could drive others to the polling station on Sunday. Shota Kawase, 24, a young farmer in the Higashimurayama district, took over his grandfather's farm six years ago, a year after finishing high school. Though he wasn't particularly drawn to farming at first, he's grown to enjoy the work over time. He has never voted before, but, this time, he's thinking of casting his ballot. 'Despite all the talk on the price of rice, they've yet to really take effective measures. Meanwhile, prices go up, but our salaries don't,' said Kawase. 'I find that hard to accept.'
Japan Times
16-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan's ‘rice minister' is ruling party's biggest election gamble
In Japan, where politicians usually favor caution over confrontation, Shinjiro Koizumi is proving to be an exception. Dressed in a sharp navy suit and crisp white shirt, the 44-year-old son of a former prime minister showed up in the rice-growing heartland of Yamagata this month with a message few farmers wanted to hear: The price of rice must come down. "If I hadn't made the decision to release government stockpiled rice at ¥2,000 ($14), rice would still cost about ¥4,000,' Koizumi told a crowd of hundreds of farmers, shoppers and agricultural association officials. "Some say higher prices would have been good for farmers, but is that really so? If consumers stop eating rice because it's expensive, is that really in the interest of rice farmers?' Only two months into his role as agriculture minister, Koizumi has become the face of a risky political bet by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. With inflation eating into household budgets and approval ratings sinking, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is counting on Koizumi's reformist drive — and his famous surname — to win back frustrated urban voters in an election for Japan's Upper House on Sunday. Stay updated on Japan's rice crisis. Quality journalism is more crucial than ever. Help us get the story right. For a limited time, we're offering a discounted subscription plan. Unlimited access US$30 US$18 /mo FOREVER subscribe NOW But that strategy is testing the loyalty of one of the party's most dependable voter blocs: Japan's aging, shrinking and increasingly disillusioned rural population. If they abandon the LDP, and Ishiba's ruling coalition loses its majority in the Upper House, it would mark the first time a ruling party has lost direct control of both chambers in more than three decades. That would pile pressure on Ishiba to step down and make policymaking even more difficult for an administration already struggling to manage U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, rising defense and social spending, and mounting pressure to lower the sales tax — a confluence of factors helping to push benchmark bond yields to the highest level since 2008. "In rural areas, many people traditionally support the LDP, but an increasing number are now frustrated with Koizumi's approach' and the sudden shift in policy, said Masayuki Ogawa, assistant professor at Utsunomiya University. "A portion of them may vote for other parties in the hope of seeing change.' Among the groups likely to siphon votes from the LDP is Sanseito, a small right-leaning party that is latching on to the idea of offering full support for rice farmers. Koizumi, son of the maverick former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, casts himself as an everyman with a passion for both surfing and shaking up the political status quo. He's long been seen as a future leader and was the early favorite in last year's LDP leadership race, before Ishiba's surprise win. For Japanese there are few issues more emotive than the price of rice, a staple of the Japanese diet for centuries. It has also become a geopolitical flash point: Trump slammed Japan for not buying American rice during a domestic shortage, calling the country "spoiled' and raising across-the-board tariffs to 25% despite seven visits to Washington by Japan's top trade negotiator. Koizumi has wasted no time jumping into the agricultural fray, upending years of farming policy since taking the position in May. He sidestepped a network of cooperatives and wholesalers that have traditionally set prices and secured stable profits for farmers, choosing instead to sell government rice reserves directly to retailers. He's also pushed for large-scale farming and asked local farm unions to give up advance payments — policies aimed at streamlining a bloated system, but ones that have sparked unease and anger in the countryside. In Tochigi, a single-seat district that has backed the LDP for the past decade, Koizumi's policies have struck a nerve. Some farmers are now openly reconsidering their support for the ruling party. Among them is Mariko Inoue. Standing in the yard of her 30-hectare rice farm, surrounded by red and white tractors, a pair of orange harvesters and a drone used to spray herbicide, she didn't hide her frustration. "Koizumi is so blatantly focused on the consumer,' she said. "He's speaking for the consumers rather than protecting the farmers. It makes me wonder why he even calls himself the agriculture minister.' For Inoue and her husband Keijiro, the recent rise in rice prices felt like a godsend after years of toiling in an industry with long hours and low pay. "It felt like there was finally hope. It felt like maybe, just maybe, we could continue farming rice,' she said over the gurgle of a nearby river that provides water for her paddy fields. "But then Koizumi intervened in the market, and it really felt like he pulled the rug out from under us.' "Now I'd make more money working the cash register at a convenience store,' she said. Reform roadmap It's still too early to tell whether Koizumi has a real roadmap for reform, not just for agriculture but across other sectors of Japan's economy. For now, his approach represents a calculated gamble that rebuilding support in urban areas outweighs the risk of alienating rural voters. The LDP's political calculus is being reshaped by Japan's shifting demographics. The country's once-powerful farm population is rapidly dwindling. In 1960, about 12 million people — 29% of the labor market — worked in agriculture. That number dwindled to 1.8 million farmers, or 2.7% of the working population in 2023. The number of rice farmers is currently about 550,000, with an average age of 72. Government estimates suggest it will halve again in five years. The LDP has in the past worked with Japan Agriculture Cooperatives, or JA, to channel subsidies to farmers and manage supply, ensuring steady profits across the chain. To prop up rice prices, the government even paid farmers to switch to other crops. That system began to come under pressure in the mid-1990s, when international trade agreements forced Japan to open up its agriculture sector. The JA still has deep ties to the LDP today, backing its candidates in elections in a bid to influence policy. But many farmers are feeling increasingly left behind. Keijiro Inoue said the LDP's agriculture policy feels like a double standard. The government doesn't help when rice prices are low for farmers, yet they rush to prioritize consumer needs when prices rise. "I guess we can't ever win,' he said. That sentiment was echoed by Hidei Sugaya, who comes from a farming family and now has to supplement his rice income by selling solar power from panels installed on his land. "The price of fertilizers, pesticides, machinery — everything was going up, but the cost of rice was going down and it felt like there was no future in farming,' he said. When prices began to rise, he felt a glimmer of hope. Then Koizumi stepped in. Sugaya, who has long supported the LDP, said he didn't plan on voting for them this time. "I just wonder if they really care about agriculture policy anymore,' he said. The frustration in the countryside stands in contrast to views in Japan's urban centers, where voters are more focused on the sting of rising food prices. Haruka Kudo, 27, who works in central Tokyo, was still undecided about her vote but said one issue stood out. "Things are so expensive, and we're not seeing our wages rise either,'' she said on a Friday evening in one of the city's busiest business districts. Among the items whose prices are going up, she singled out rice. Rice prices Koizumi succeeded in cutting the price of a 5-kilogram bag of rice to about ¥3,500 from around ¥4,300. His strategy of bypassing traditional channels was a clear break from his predecessor, Taku Eto, who tried to stabilize prices by gradually releasing government stockpiles through existing networks. The approach had little effect, and Eto's offhand comment that he never bought rice because supporters gave it to him for free only hastened his exit. Party leaders saw in Koizumi an opportunity to get faster results, drive reform and connect with younger, urban voters. Initially, his appointment appeared to boost the ruling coalition's prospects of keeping control of the upper house. But the lack of progress in trade talks with the Trump administration appears to have chipped away at that bump in support. If the coalition meets Ishiba's modest goal of limiting losses to 16 seats, Koizumi could still claim some credit, paving the way for another leadership bid in the future. A weaker showing, however, would likely put the blame on Ishiba — and could start the clock on his premiership. That might also set the stage for Koizumi to aim for the party's helm, but a trouncing at the polls after gambling on Koizumi may tarnish his rising star. During last year's LDP presidential election, Koizumi had campaigned on accelerating reform and ending what he called a tendency to discuss things for "20 years.' He promoted startups and new industries like ride-sharing, and even floated changes to Japan's rigid employment protections, an idea that drew sharp criticism and likely cost him the race. For some, the episode revealed political naivety. For others, it showed the kind of bold leadership the LDP desperately needs. There are clear echoes of his father, Junichiro Koizumi, who took over the party in the early 2000s and served as prime minister for six years. The elder Koizumi introduced sweeping market reforms and famously privatized the postal system. During his time as premier, he trimmed the Agriculture Ministry's budget by around 17%. He knew how to connect with voters. During a visit to Graceland with President George W. Bush, the silver-maned Koizumi slipped on Elvis shades, played air guitar and sang Love Me Tender — a moment that helped cement his legacy in the public imagination. Like his father, Shinjiro prefers to connect directly with the public rather than build up factional power within the party. His Instagram feed features snapshots of beef bowls and humble lunches at the ministry cafeteria, meant to reinforce his image as a relatable Tokyo local. "I eat microwave rice packs too,' he once said on camera. Not everyone buys it. Under the scorching July sun in Tochigi, rice farmer Mie Amagai wiped sweat from her brow as she rode her tractor across the field, pausing every few meters to check whether the sprouts had taken root. "It's impossible for him to understand us farmers. We were born into completely different environments,' she said. "He's probably never even touched soil.' Her skepticism underscores a broader challenge for Japan's political parties — not just the LDP, but also the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Democratic Party for the People, and Sanseito — as shifting demographics erode the influence of once-reliable voting blocs. "With organized votes shrinking across the board, the key now is how parties can capture the growing pool of unaffiliated, unorganized voters,' said Yu Uchiyama, professor of political science at the University of Tokyo. "The party now faces a choice — whether it stays rooted in old-style regulated politics, pivots more toward a nonpartisan approach or tries to balance both,' said Uchiyama. "That tension will shape what kind of party the LDP becomes going forward.'
Bloomberg
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Japan's ‘Rice Minister' Is Ruling Party's Biggest Election Gamble
In Japan, where politicians usually favor caution over confrontation, Shinjiro Koizumi is proving to be an exception. Dressed in a sharp navy suit and crisp white shirt, the 44-year-old son of a former prime minister showed up in the rice-growing heartland of Yamagata this month with a message few farmers wanted to hear: The price of rice must come down.
