Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Norikazu Suzuki (43) made a live studio appearance on TV Asahi’s morning information program “The Hatori Shinichi Morning Show” on March 27. He responded one by one to the questions of the studio performers, including commentator Toru Tamagawa, a former member of the TV station, which excited the Internet. ◆Difficulty in eye contact…Shinjiro Koizumi and Norikazu Suzuki at the handover ceremony for Minister of Agriculture (photo) Minister Suzuki has clearly stated his view on rice policy that “production in response to domestic demand is fundamental” since taking office. This was a virtual reversal of the previous administration’s policy of “increasing rice production,” and caused a stir among the public. In an appearance in the studio, TV personality Yoshizumi Ishihara speculated that the high demand for rice was behind the policy, saying, “The price [of rice] has remained high because there is a sense of shortage,” and questioned the consistency of Minister Suzuki’s cautious stance on increasing rice production. In response, Minister Suzuki responded that prices have remained high in conjunction with the pricing that businesses and producers have already dealt with. He emphasized that prices “are hard to come down,” but that there is “room for ingenuity” through cost reductions and other measures. When asked by another participant how to balance the needs of producers and consumers, he replied that he was not calling for excessively high pricing, but that he wanted to “balance supply and demand to avoid wild fluctuations in the price [of rice]. If production continues to increase at the same pace as before, “there will be a big crash,” and the goal is to avoid such a situation. Mr. Tamagawa was asked what concrete measures he could take for consumers. The much-discussed “rice coupons” were mentioned, and Minister Suzuki responded that measures against high prices should be taken “including rice coupons. As a reason, he expressed his belief that this is one of the measures that can effectively respond to “those who are truly in need. Minister Suzuki appeared for 50 minutes, interspersed with commercials. The response to the interaction between the performers and Minister Suzuki was great on X (formerly Twitter), with comments such as “Minister Suzuki, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, you are amazing! He is smart and sharp. Mr. Tamagawa and the others can’t say anything back,” “New Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Suzuki is amazing. He is gradually involving the commentators of the morning show.” “He was a warrior in the morning show, which is a complete away from home, wasn’t he?
Chunichi Sports