<figure id="attachment_427564" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-427564" style="width: 3064px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1963e573"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/06/8d0c1eac4792f3c5ac31e902fa537fa8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-427564" class="wp-caption-text">Koizumi Shinjiro calls himself &#8220;Minister in charge of rice&#8221;. Although it is expected that the rice market price will be lowered, &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> Former Minister of Agriculture presents his bitterness in person</span></h3>
<p> He met with the president of the company that bid for the stockpiled rice under a voluntary contract, inspected the warehouse where the stockpiled rice was stored, and even tasted some of it. He also visited a supermarket where stockpiled rice was sold. There is not a day that goes by that Koizumi Shinjiro, 44, the new Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, is not seen on TV, and there is no sign that the curtain is coming down on the &#8220;Koizumi Rice Theatre.</p>
<p> He also appears on news programs of various broadcasters, appealing day after day for a reduction in rice prices through the release of 300,000 tons of stockpiled rice. Some broadcasters even refer to the stockpiled rice, a government asset, as &#8220;Koizumi rice.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The first batch of stockpiled rice was released in the blink of an eye, but the price of the first batch of stockpiled rice was only 2,000 yen per kilogram. However, the first batch sold out in no time. The remaining 300,000 tons of stockpiled rice is not enough to go to the people who wish to purchase it.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The stockpiled rice released by former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Taku Eto (64) will be placed on store shelves after a delay. Since 95% of this rice has been sold to JA and a wholesaler&#8217;s margin must be added, the rice must be sold at 3,000-3,500 yen per 5 kg, even though it is new for one year, or the rice will be sold at a loss. Can Eto rice, which is sold in stores after Koizumi rice is sold for 2,000 yen, really be sold for 3,500 yen?</span></p>
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<p> On May 31, Shinjiro attended a briefing by incumbent Mayor Katsuaki Uechi, 71, who is seeking a third term in the Yokosuka mayoral election, and implicitly criticized JA and the agriculture and forestry clans, saying, &#8220;In politics, if there is a strong will, a way will open up&#8221; and &#8220;(sales of stockpiled rice) were said to be impossible even in early June.</p>
<p> At a national policy briefing by Secretary General Yutaka Moriyama (80) in Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, on the same day, former Minister of Agriculture Tetsuro Nomura (81) devoted most of his speech to praising Moriyama, and in return, pointed out that Shinjiro had not consulted the LDP Agriculture and Forestry Subcommittee about the change to a voluntary contract to sell the stockpiled rice, and complained, &#8220;I&#8217;ve already made most of my own decisions.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He said, &#8220;He almost always makes his own decisions and announces them himself. They need to learn the rules.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> The next day, June 1, after visiting a supermarket that handled stockpiled rice, Shinjiro was singled out as a target, saying, &#8220;I was chairman of the Agriculture and Forestry Subcommittee, so I know the rules. If the minister has to consult with the party on every single thing he does, he cannot make bold decisions with a sense of speed. Revision of ministerial ordinances and operation of the system must be decided by the minister. I think this is the rule,&#8221; he said, dismissing Nomura&#8217;s complaints out of hand.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The &quot;Real Relationship&quot; with Secretary General Moriyama, Don of the Agriculture and Fisheries Clan"></div>
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<figure id="attachment_427565" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-427565" style="width: 2156px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f7914e6e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/06/cf871c2cd52dd65df821eedc9dcaec24.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-427565" class="wp-caption-text">At a May 28 meeting of the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Mr. Shinjiro responded to a question from Yuichiro Tamaki, representative of the People&#8217;s Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), in a dignified manner.</figcaption></figure>
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<h3><span class="strongInContent"> The &#8220;don&#8221; put the groundwork in place for Mr. Shinjiro.</span></h3>
<p> The fact that Shinjiro, who is regarded as &#8220;a man who makes no enemies within the party,&#8221; contradicted a senior member of the LDP is causing widespread surprise within the LDP. A veteran LDP secretary surmises, &#8220;Mr. Nomura is a member of the Kagoshima Prefectural Farmers&#8217; Association.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Mr. Nomura is a politician from the Kagoshima Prefectural Central Association of Agricultural Cooperatives and can be regarded as the &#8220;voice of JA. There is no doubt that Mr. Nomura is an enemy of Mr. Shinjiro, who has distributed rice without going through the JA without prior arrangement. Shinjiro, on the other hand, is a hereditary Diet member who is in the spotlight and has worked hard not to make enemies within his own party. The decision to distribute the rice directly to retailers without going through JA, while still being flashy, was made after laying the groundwork and liaising with Secretary General Moriyama, who is the &#8220;prime minister behind the scenes.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Secretary General Moriyama heard Nomura&#8217;s statement from the side and naturally knew that it was a dig at Shinjiro in the context of &#8220;even Shinjiro, the &#8220;man of the hour,&#8221; is a bit of a jerk in front of the great secretary-general. It is natural to assume that before the newspapers reported the story, they informed Shinjiro that they did not take offense at Nomura&#8217;s comment, and that Shinjiro must have responded in accordance with Secretary General Moriyama&#8217;s scenario. The media likes to report on confrontational structures.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p> The aforementioned secretary continued to describe Moriyama&#8217;s intentions.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;As secretary-general in charge of the election, Moriyama may want to make Shinjiro a signboard for the Upper House election in July by reminding him of his father, Junichiro (83), as a reformer who cuts into vested interests.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> In a series of rice reports, the articles postponing the conclusion on the invitation of former Education Minister Hirofumi Shimomura, 71, as a witness and on corporate group donations have been given less treatment. On the contrary, support for the Ishiba administration is also increasing. Is it the LDP&#8217;s strategy to make a star out of Shinjiro in the run-up to the Upper House election?</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The fact that Shinjiro is in the headlines every day and that the stockpiled rice is sold out as soon as it is put on the market is a reflection of how much the voters have suffered from the rising price of rice.</span></p>
<p> Tadayo Tanabe ( <wbr></wbr>55), a member of the House of Councillors who chairs the DPJ&#8217;s working team on stockpiled rice and has owned a rice field in <wbr></wbr>Aomori constituency since her grandfather&#8217;s generation, calmly explains and continues: &#8220;Mr. Shinjiro&#8217;s performance is not good enough for me.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> It is easy to be distracted by Shinjiro&#8217;s performance, but <wbr></wbr>the real problem of the rice shortage has not been solved. <wbr></wbr>The stockpiled rice is bought with taxpayer money and is the property of the people. <wbr></wbr>I understand that it is an emergency, but the government is even bearing the transportation costs. <wbr></wbr>If the voices of those who could not afford to buy the stockpiled rice are raised, <wbr></wbr>there could be criticism that it is unfair. <wbr></wbr>Unless the current agricultural policy is reviewed, <wbr></wbr>rice prices will continue to remain high.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> Before performance, shouldn&#8217;t we first work on fundamental agricultural policy reform?</p>
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 Daisuke Iwasaki

 Takeshi Kinugawa

 As Minister of Agriculture, Koizumi Shinjiro is rarely seen on TV as the minister in charge of rice. While his popularity with the public is growing, there are various voices within the party.

Stand-up Crushing” also…Uneasy Movement to “Oust” Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi Spreads within the LDP

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