Japan's agriculture minister resigns over rice gaffe

Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Taku Eto on Wednesday submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after facing intense criticism for his recent remarks on rice.

During a public speech on Sunday, Eto stated that he had never bought rice as he received so much from supporters, at a time when the public is fretting over soaring rice prices.

Although he later apologized and retracted the comment, opposition parties and the public condemned the remark as highly inappropriate and questioned his fitness for office.

Prime Minister Ishiba has reportedly decided to appoint former election strategy chief Shinjiro Koizumi as Eto's replacement.

Earlier data showed the average retail price of rice in Japan rose again in the week leading up to May 11, reaching 4,268 yen (about 29.4 US dollars) per 5 kg, nearly twice as high as the same period last year.