Tokyo. Japan’s agriculture minister resigned Wednesday following public outrage over remarks that he “never had to buy rice” because supporters gifted it to him—comments seen as tone-deaf as consumers grapple with record-high rice prices.

Taku Eto made the statement Sunday during a seminar for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which is already under pressure ahead of national elections in July. The backlash added to the mounting troubles facing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s struggling minority government.

“I made an extremely inappropriate remark at a time when consumers are suffering from soaring rice prices,” Eto said after submitting his resignation. It marked the first ministerial resignation under Ishiba’s leadership since he took office in October.

Though the government has released emergency rice stockpiles in recent months, the impact has been limited, with prices still climbing. Some supermarkets have begun selling cheaper imported rice to fill the gap.

Eto later attempted to clarify his remarks, saying he does purchase white rice and that the gifted rice he referenced was brown rice, which he advocates for due to its faster market turnaround.

To steady the situation, Ishiba appointed former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a popular figure and son of a former prime minister, to head the Agriculture Ministry. Koizumi brings experience in agricultural and fisheries policy and is seen as a reform-minded leader.

“I was instructed to put rice before anything else,” Koizumi told reporters. “At this difficult time, I will do my utmost to address the high rice prices that people are struggling with daily.” He added that, as a father who sometimes serves his children packaged instant rice, he understands the burden firsthand.

Ishiba has pledged to strengthen Japan’s food security and self-sufficiency, calling the ongoing rice price surge a “structural problem” rather than a temporary issue. While he has pushed for reforms including expanded rice production and potential exports, critics argue the administration must first resolve the domestic supply crisis.

“The current measures have been ineffective,” Koizumi acknowledged, vowing to accelerate efforts once officially sworn in later Wednesday.

Parliament is scheduled to host a party leaders' debate later in the day, where Ishiba is expected to face further scrutiny.

Despite Japan’s declining rice consumption as diets diversify, the grain remains a vital part of the nation’s culture and identity.

“Rice is the staple food for the Japanese. When its price keeps rising every week, [Eto’s] resignation is only natural,” said Shizuko Oshima, 73.

The current shortage began last August amid panic buying triggered by government earthquake preparedness warnings. While the autumn harvest briefly stabilized supply, shortages and price hikes returned early this year.

Officials cite poor harvests due to 2023’s extreme heat and rising production costs, but some experts argue that long-standing government policy failures are also to blame. Although the government denies a rice shortage, it remains unclear why supplies aren’t reaching store shelves, complicated by a fragmented distribution system since deregulation in 1995.