Japan's Agriculture Minister Taku Eto, 64, was forced to resign after making "inappropriate" comments about rice prices, which have doubled in Japan over the past year, weighing on household budgets in an already troubled environment due to soaring inflation. The move is a blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose popularity is at an all-time low ahead of Senate elections in July.

At a fundraising event organized by his party's local branch on Sunday, the ministry chief amusedly declared that "he hasn't bought rice for a long time because he was given so much as a gift from supporters that he could even start selling it." Eto's gaffe came shortly after the Agriculture Ministry decided to release additional emergency supplies until July, in the hope of lowering prices.

According to local media, his place should be taken by Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, son of former Prime Minister Junichiro and former Environment Minister, who unsuccessfully ran for the Liberal Democratic Party in the presidential election last year.

(Unioneonline/vl)

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