Japan running short on naphtha? Policy ally of Takashi Sanae: Just buy it online
Is there really someone who believes goods will automatically refresh on supermarket shelves?
According to Yahoo News Japan, Takahashi Yoichi, a supporter and policy ally of Takaichi Sanae, recently made this astonishing statement on a television program.
When asked about Japan's current shortage of naphtha, Takahashi first insisted that Japan's naphtha supply was "very ample." If one area faced a shortage, others must have surplus. Even occasional shortages were "normal," as the problem lay with consumers—if people bought in bulk, stockouts would inevitably occur.
Then came the "crucial" part. When pressed on how to address the "rare cases" of naphtha shortages in specific regions, Takahashi’s solution was to advise consumer enterprises to "best search online," claiming this would quickly help them identify suppliers with ample inventory.
This remark—reducing a complex supply chain crisis to the absurd idea that products automatically refresh on supermarket shelves—prompted an immediate uproar across Japanese internet forums. Many netizens called it ridiculous, questioning whether the other guests and the host on the show were all just "actors" lacking basic common sense and logical reasoning.
Records show that Takahashi Yoichi previously served as an economic policy advisor to Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga. Although not officially a full-time advisor to Takaichi Sanae, during the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election campaign, he engaged in dedicated economic policy discussions with her and frequently praised the Takaichi administration in media appearances.
Thus, it's no surprise that with such a "remarkable" figure constantly praising Takaichi Sanae from afar, she remains resolutely unwilling to acknowledge the serious reality of Japan's naphtha shortage.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866322022674506/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.