Japan’s farm minister Taku Eto stepped down on Wednesday, domestic media reported, following public outrage over his comments on getting free rice. Eto said Sunday that he has never had to buy rice as ...

ASAHIKAWA, Japan — Nobuo Kubo inherited his rice farm four decades ago, becoming the third generation in his family to look after the lush fields at the base of Mount Daisetsu. The pristine snowmelt ...

The recent tumultuous rice price situation in Japan has been a rollercoaster ride. Beginning with a poor harvest in 2023 and a minor rice shortage in the late summer of 2024, many began to think Japan ...

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's agriculture minister was forced to resign Wednesday because of political fallout over his recent comments that he “never had to buy rice” because he got it from supporters as a ...

Shinjiro Koizumi, agriculture minister of Japan, eats a rice ball during his visit to a rice farm in Sugito, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Credit - Soichiro Koriyama—Getty ...

TOKYO — Japan's agriculture minister resigned Wednesday because of political fallout over recent comments that he "never had to buy rice" because he got it from supporters as gifts. The resignation ...

TOKYO — Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain, which is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over ...

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s agriculture minister was forced to resign Wednesday because of political fallout over his recent comments that he “never had to buy rice” because he got it from supporters as a ...