FOCUS:Japan PM vows rice policy overhaul as prices soar before key election

Facing escalating public grievances over soaring rice prices and with a crucial national election looming this summer, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is targeting one of Japan's most sensitive and politically entrenched agricultural policies.As rice prices have roughly doubled from the previous year, Ishiba has signaled a willingness to overhaul Japan's decades-old production adjustment system, aiming to counter opposition parties that are pitching a populist policy of cutting the consumption tax.Reforming Japan's rice policy has long been a personal priority for Ishiba. With public opinion …READ FULL ARTICLE