ASAHIKAWA, Japan - Nobuo Kubo inherited his rice farm four decades ago, becoming the third generation in his family to look after the lush fields at the base of Mount Daisetsu. The pristine snow melt ...

Shinjiro Koizumi, agriculture minister of Japan, eats a rice ball during his visit to a rice farm in Sugito, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Credit - Soichiro Koriyama—Getty ...

TOKYO — Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain, which is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over ...

Last week, I had a rare opportunity of visiting Japan's tranquil rice fields in Nara region and my mind was captivated by the transformative power of rice farming. I envisioned its potential to ...

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's agriculture minister was forced to resign Wednesday because of political fallout over his recent comments that he “never had to buy rice” because he got it from supporters as a ...

Donald Trump threatened Japan with higher tariffs after accusing it of refusing to buy American rice, despite data showing otherwise. “They won’t take our RICE and yet they have a massive rice ...

Japan’s agriculture minister resigned Wednesday because of political fallout over recent comments that he “never had to buy rice” because he got it from supporters as gifts. The resignation comes as ...

Whether it’s posting pictures of him eating gyudon (beef bowl) between meetings or holding rice balls at campaign stops, Shinjiro Koizumi has worked hard to portray himself as a regular Tokyoite. The ...

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s agriculture minister was forced to resign Wednesday because of political fallout over his recent comments that he “never had to buy rice” because he got it from supporters as a ...