Overview

• Taku Eto resigned as Japan's agriculture minister after stating he never had to buy rice due to gifts from supporters, a comment widely seen as out of touch during a rice price crisis.
• Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba accepted Eto's resignation and appointed Shinjiro Koizumi, a reform-minded former environment minister, as his replacement.
• Rice prices in Japan have doubled over the past year, reaching multi-decade highs despite government efforts, including the release of 300,000 tons from emergency stockpiles since March.
• The Ishiba government faces mounting criticism over its handling of the rice crisis, with approval ratings plummeting to record lows ahead of July's upper house elections.
• Opposition parties had threatened a no-confidence motion against Eto, further pressuring the already fragile minority government to act decisively.