Rice Costs Imperil Ishiba After Minister Quits in Japan

During Japan’s Edo period, feudal lords were warned that peasant revolts start with rice. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is finding political survival can still hinge on the price of the staple food.

The cost of rice has more than doubled over the past year, straining household budgets and forcing people to find alternatives. It’s gotten so bad that some schools are cutting back on rice-based school lunches, a drastic move in a country where the meals are seen as key to raising healthy children.