Liaison Meeting of the Government and Ruling Parties

On June 3, 2025, Prime Minister Ishiba attended a Liaison Meeting of the Government and Ruling Parties at the Prime Minister's Office.

In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister said:

"On May 21, I instructed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Koizumi to consider selling stockpiled rice through the use of discretionary contracts. Subsequently, last week, on May 26, it was announced that 300,000 tons of such rice will be sold under discretionary contracts, and some businesses have already begun sales. We were able to respond swiftly. I would like to express my appreciation not only to Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Koizumi, but also to Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Nakano and other relevant ministers as well as ruling party members who cooperated in this effort.

Of the 300,000 tons, the Government has already received many applications to purchase 220,000 tons mainly from the 2022 harvest, of which the application process has already been completed. The remaining 80,000 tons from the 2021 harvest are intended for rice retailers and small and medium-sized retailers with rice milling facilities. The Government will continue its efforts to swiftly deliver rice to the public. I ask for your continued support.

It is essential to provide rice at prices that ensure sustained consumer confidence, while achieving a stable rice supply through sustainable agricultural production driven by improved productivity. Therefore, in order to comprehensively examine the factors behind the recent surge in rice prices and the government’s response, and to develop rice policies based on these findings, we have decided to establish a new inter-ministerial council under the Headquarters on Measures to Secure Stable Supply of Food and Strengthen the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Industries. I will serve as chair, and relevant Cabinet members will participate as council members. We plan to hold the first meeting within this week and ask for your continued cooperation.

As part of the emergency response package for the U.S. tariff measures, at the end of last month, the Cabinet approved the use of reserve funds to address the recent rise in the cost of living. To respond to the summer heat, we will allocate 288.1 billion yen to support electricity and gas bills. As a result, for a standard household, for example, this support is expected to reduce utility costs by about 3,000 yen over the three-month period from July to September. Additionally, to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and hospitals that use extra-high-voltage electricity and liquefied petroleum (LP) gas, we will increase the amount of priority support grants by 100 billion yen. Together with the 0.2 trillion yen that is about to be executed, we will provide approximately 0.3 trillion yen in support.

In addition, we will take all possible measures to support SMEs affected by the U.S. tariff measures by providing approximately 2.2 trillion yen using existing budgetary measures. They include easing requirements for Japan Finance Corporation (JFC) safety net lending; providing cash flow support through the application of the safety net guarantee system; and giving priority support for SME’s capital investment.

Regarding the Japan-U.S. talks on U.S. tariff measures, I held summit telephone talks with President Trump of the United States of America on May 23 and 29, and directly conveyed Japan's position on calling for the elimination of tariff measures. At the same time, Minister Akazawa visited the United States two weeks in a row and held discussions with Treasury Secretary Bessent and Trade Representative Greer. We will continue to make every effort in our negotiations with the United States.

The amendment to the pension reform bill agreed upon by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, and the Constitutional Democratic Party, has been passed by the House of Representatives. Once again, I would like to thank everyone in the ruling parties for all your efforts in the three-party talks. Thank you. We are nearing the end of the current Diet session. The Government will begin deliberations on the pension reform bill in the House of Councillors and will respond sincerely to the Diet deliberations. I ask for your continued cooperation.”