Japan’s Opposition Bloc Steps Up Criticisms Against Ishiba; CDPJ Leader Says Eto Dismissal Inevitable But PM ‘One Step Behind’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:14 JST, May 21, 2025

The opposition parties are stepping up their criticisms against Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba over his abrupt reversal to retain Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Taku Eto, who resigned but was effectively dismissed on Wednesday morning following his comments over rice.

While the ruling parties have expressed their understanding, they are increasingly anxious about the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in June and the House of Councillors election this summer.

“His dismissal was inevitable, but the decision is always one step behind,” said Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, to reporters at the Diet on Wednesday morning. “Delays in decisions have continued from pensions to measures for rising prices as well as on issues regarding the high-cost medical expense benefits.”

Noda signaled his intent to hold Ishiba accountable, criticizing Eto as “unfit to lead agricultural policy, having lost the trust of both consumers and producers.”

Ishiba, on Tuesday, initially said he planned to keep Eto in the post. However, his decision changed by the evening when five opposition parties united and demanded Eto be dismissed. The opposition parties are now poised to grill Ishiba on the delay.

Ryohei Iwatani, secretary general of the Japan Innovation Party, criticized Ishiba over the handling of the matter, saying: “Regrettably, the prime minister is out of touch with public sentiment. If he understood the public’s feelings, he would not have defended [Eto].”

Akira Koike, secretariat head of the Japanese Communist Party, said: “The prime minister bears a heavy responsibility for ultimately fueling distrust in agricultural policy. This must be thoroughly investigated.”

The ruling coalition finds itself on the defensive.

Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters at party headquarters on Wednesday morning, “[Eto] probably announced his resignation because he thought that stepping down himself was important.”

Itsunori Onodera, chairman of the LDP’s Policy Research Council, said, “We take [Eto’s] decision seriously, as he judged that he had lost the public’s trust.”

Within the ruling parties, the consensus is that “Eto’s dismissal was unavoidable,” according to a senior LDP official.

However, with the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and upper house elections just around the corner, the blow to the administration is significant.

“There are no major economic measures,” said an LDP member and former cabinet minister. “If this continues, we will suffer a major defeat.”

Junichi Ishii, chairperson of the LDP’s Diet Affairs Committee in the upper house, called for greater discipline within the government and the ruling parties, saying: “Gaffes made by cabinet ministers have a significant impact ahead of elections. We must manage Diet affairs with a heightened sense of seriousness.”

Tetsuo Saito, leader of the LDP’s coalition partner Komeito, described the dismissal as “an obvious decision,” but he acknowledged that its impact on the elections this summer “cannot be denied.”