Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba accepted the resignation of his agriculture minister on Wednesday over a tone-deaf remark about rice donations – a political blunder that analysts say could further erode public trust in his leadership ahead of two make-or-break elections this summer.
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Taku Eto stepped down less than 24 hours after Ishiba insisted he would not dismiss him, following public outcry over comments in which the minister boasted that he never needed to buy rice because supporters regularly sent him sacks of it.
The gaffe, made during a speech in Saga city on Sunday, drew fierce criticism at a time when Japanese households are grappling with rice shortages and soaring prices.
Critics said the remark illustrated how out of touch the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had become, as families across the country ration a staple many now find increasingly unaffordable.
The resignation adds to a string of political headaches for Ishiba, whose approval rating is tumbling amid economic anxiety, diplomatic tensions and growing divisions within his own party.
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