Agriculture minister resigns to take blame for tainted rice scandal

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Agriculture minister resigns to take blame for tainted rice scandal

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Ota Seiichi on September 19 announced his intention to resign to take responsibility for failing to properly deal with the tainted rice scandal.

The announcement came as a surprise as there are only several days left before the cabinet resigns en masse.

The Fukuda Cabinet was due to resign on September 24.

It has been revealed that tainted imported rice was marketed as food. The Agriculture Ministry and the Liberal Democratic Party are under fire for allowing it to be sold in the country although they were fully aware that the rice was tainted.

Initially, Ota stated that tainted rice “does not harm the human body” and that it is of no use making a fuss over the matter. This remark drew strong public criticism.

* * *

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on the same day said, “Ota is not the only person who should take the blame for the matter. The LDP government’s agricultural policy itself is to blame for the misconduct and this cannot be resolved by just a ministerial shakeup.”

“It is natural that Ota tender his resignation because of his gaffe concerning the tainted rice issue,” he said.

Ichida went on to say, “The LDP government allowed the importation of an annual 770,000 tons of ‘minimum access rice’ in subservience to the U.S. while urging farmers to reduce rice production. It should be noted that 80 percent of the imported rice was tainted.”

He also pointed out that the then Koizumi Cabinet’s “rice reform” in 2004 abolished the requirement for licensing of rice dealers as part of the deregulation policy. Companies dealing in rice have only to report to the ministry when they begin trading rice.

“The responsibility of Prime Minister Fukuda for appointing such an inept politician to be the Agriculture Minister is very serious. Recently, Japan has witnessed many inept replacements in that ministry!”

- Akahata, September 20, 2008