Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan’s agriculture minister, visits rice farmers in Ibaraki Prefecture on July 9.
Photographer: Soichiro Koriyama/BloombergAsia
Japan’s ‘Rice Minister’ Is Ruling Party’s Biggest Election Gamble
Emergency action to lower price of nation’s staple prioritizes votes of urban consumers over rural supporters
In Japan, where politicians usually favor caution over confrontation, Shinjiro Koizumi is proving to be an exception.
Dressed in a sharp navy suit and crisp white shirt, the 44-year-old son of a former prime minister showed up in the rice-growing heartland of Yamagata this month with a message few farmers wanted to hear: The price of rice must come down.