Reference News Network, July 2 report: According to Japan's Jiji Press, US President Trump publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the low volume of Japanese rice imports, causing confusion within the Ishikawa government. The rice market has always been a "forbidden zone" that the Liberal Democratic Party strictly guards, and there are concerns that it may affect the announcement of the Senate election on the 3rd. The government is making every effort to eliminate the sense of unease, stating "we will not sacrifice agriculture."
The report said that at a press conference on the 1st, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Furusho did not directly respond to Trump's remarks, only saying "we will not comment on every word." In addition, he emphasized "we will not sacrifice Japan's agriculture in future (Japan-US) consultations, and we will protect what needs to be protected."
Shigeru Akazawa, Minister of Economic Revitalization responsible for Japan-US tariff negotiations, said "we will not comment on the content of the negotiations."
According to the report, on June 30, Trump said on his social media account: "Japan doesn't want to buy our rice, despite their serious rice shortage."
The report indicated that Trump seems to be seeking "results" before the deadline for reciprocal tariff exemptions on the 9th, and some within the Japanese government believe this is just "part of the bargaining." However, compared to the repeated dissemination of the false information this spring that "Japan imposes a 700% tariff on rice," Trump now has the latest justification of a rice shortage in Japan. A relevant official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned: "Is someone blowing him the wind?"
The report pointed out that the Liberal Democratic Party has long protected Japan's rice market. During the Uruguay Round (multilateral trade negotiations) starting in the 1980s, Japan agreed to open its rice market to some extent but could set a minimum import volume for rice, i.e., a low-tariff quota. During the first term of Trump's administration, the Liberal Democratic Party also successfully prevented market liberalization. Besides the need to maintain food security, this was also because the agricultural sector is the party's iron vote bank.
According to the report, on the 1st, the Ishikawa government held a meeting of relevant ministers at the Prime Minister's Office to achieve stable rice supply. The Prime Minister proposed a policy to increase production starting in 2025, but did not mention Trump's remarks. A senior government official said, "Trump's focus has returned to tariffs from the Middle East." (Translated by Liu Lin)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7522419757799211562/
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