【米不足の真犯人】「我々が作った国産米を買わずに、なぜアメリカ米を二十万トンも増やしたのか」差額5000億円は農家がかぶった…平均年齢71.1歳「あと五年」【長谷川敏郎/井上義行/参院農林水産委員会】

Do you think the rice shortage is because farmers didn't grow enough? A farmer summoned to the Diet said the opposite—June 23, 2026, House of Councillors Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Committee. Toshiro Hasegawa, chairman of the National Federation of Farmers' Movements, gave his opinion during the expert questioning regarding the proposed amendment to the Staple Food Law. He is an active farmer in the mountainous area of ​​Ōnan Town, Shimane Prefecture, cultivating two breeding cattle and 1.4 hectares of rice paddies with his family. Mr. Hasegawa stated, "The government is responsible for creating the rice shortage." He cited inventory figures as evidence. The primary reason private rice stocks reached 2.49 million tons by the end of April is attributed to the failure to repurchase the 590,000 tons of released reserve rice and to purchase the 210,000 tons of 2025 harvest rice. The article states, "If the government immediately takes back a total of 800,000 tons from the market, the excess stock will be eliminated," and demands, "The government must take responsibility for the surplus it created and bring it down to an appropriate level as soon as possible." Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries held a minimum access rice auction on May 22nd, winning 36,000 tons of American rice. The article notes, "Following Minister Koizumi's earlier auction last June, this year it's another month earlier," and expresses anger in rural areas over why the government increased imports of American rice by 200,000 tons instead of buying the domestically produced rice we make." The proposed amendment explicitly states that farmers should take the lead in "production in response to demand." Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yoshiyuki Inoue explained that the direction is to "stabilize prices as a result" by strengthening the understanding of distribution conditions and creating a private stockpiling system. He then proposed improving yield predictions by understanding weather data and growth conditions using AI and satellite imagery analysis, and creating a system that visualizes distribution inventory information to "understand supply and demand trends in real time, like a stock price chart." Hasegawa, the expert witness, responded as follows: "I also asked AI how to accurately understand the demand and supply of rice. Unfortunately, it said it's impossible." The reason is that no matter how precisely the data is created, "production will not suddenly increase after planting"—even if the Prime Minister were to switch to increased production after planting was finished, as happened last year, it would be too late. He then requested, "I would like to request a system design that allows farmers to continue production with peace of mind, assuming that such fluctuations will occur." In response to Komeito party lawmaker Mitsuo Takahashi, the burden of a price crash was outlined. The business stabilization measures are for certified farmers, and income insurance is only for those filing blue tax returns. "Those of us who file white tax returns, like me, make up almost 90% of farmers, and we're not eligible for this either." Regarding the 2021 market crash during the COVID-19 pandemic, he stated, "Rice that used to cost around 15,000 yen was selling for 10,000 yen. That 5,000 yen difference, when calculated in total, amounts to 480 to 500 billion yen. Farmers bore that burden." He added, "If the government had bought 200,000 tons at that time, even at 20,000 yen, it would have only cost 60 billion yen." In response to a question from National Democratic Party member Akihiro Kagoshima, he cited the policy of "production in accordance with demand," which has been in place since the 2003 Food Law amendment, stating, "This situation is the result of being forced to produce in accordance with demand for so long." He continued, "This time, the law specifically states that we must act proactively. Haven't we been proactive enough? There's no other law that's so condescending." In response to a question from Japanese Communist Party Diet member Tomo Iwabuchi, he stated, "In the last five years, 260,000 farmers, or 24% of all farmers, have left farming. The average age of rice farmers is now 71.1 years old, and there are only five years left." He added, "No one quits farming by saying 'I'm quitting farming'; they quietly leave. That's the reality in rural areas today." Regarding the proposed amendments, he replied, "The current proposed amendments fundamentally do not solve the problem at all." -- Table of Contents (Timestamps) -- 0:00 Digest 0:50 Opening 1:25 Main Content: Statement of Opinion at the House of Councillors Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (June 23, 2026) 1:59 Shimane Prefecture, Ohnan Town: A Farmer with 2 Wagyu Cattle and 1.4 Hectares of Rice Fields 2:20 The Highlight of the Revision: The Government Still Sheds Responsibility for the Rice Shortage 2:44 Private Inventory...