On the October 27 broadcast of “The Shinichi Hatori Morning Show” (TV Asahi), regular commentator Toru Tamagawa harshly questioned Minister of Agriculture Norikazu Suzuki. During the show, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Suzuki responded by “killing” his “homies,” but Tamagawa’s “habit” of doing so was criticized by a number of people. In the “Ranking of Disliked Commentators,” No. 1 over No. 2 “supercilious” Toru Tamagawa was: “When he took office, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Suzuki said, ‘Next year, in principle, we will produce rice in accordance with demand. This was taken as an indication of a shift from the “increase production according to demand” policy of the Ishiba administration. Mr. Tamagawa asked, “Are you going to return (the rice policy) to the original policy? Are you going to return to the agricultural policy that failed to make rice strong? Are you going to change what you have changed once more? He was very strict in his response. However, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Suzuki calmly replied, “I knew that Mr. Tamagawa, who hails from the Tohoku region, had good things to say,” as if to compliment him, “I do not want to return to the original policy. I want to pursue an agricultural policy that can look ahead and produce rice 10 years into the future. Mr. Tamagawa went further by saying, “I think we have been protecting the votes of the dual-income farmers, not the farmers,” to which Mr. Suzuki replied, “What we should protect is the food production of this country. It is neither more nor less than that. I do not do anything for votes. In response to this exchange, X received a number of comments from the audience, including “Mr. Suzuki seems to be firmly committed to Japanese agriculture,” “Minister Suzuki’s explanations are very easy to understand and reliable,” and “Mr. Tamagawa is able to express the true feelings of many people without hesitation and without making any distinctions,” and “If anything, Mr. Suzuki didn’t answer Tamagawa’s questions properly and was vague in his answers. Suzuki was the one who was vague in his answer. Tamagawa’s “habitual” behavior also drew criticism. He “points his finger” at others. When he expresses his opinions, he often points at his opponents. He also pointed at Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Suzuki while he spoke passionately. Mr. Tamagawa is too rude to talk while pointing at others,” “Mr. Tamagawa has no manners to talk while pointing at others,” and so on. Viewers expect a calm discussion.
