TOKYO: Support for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has hit a record low, with nearly nine out of every 10 voters dissatisfied with the government’s response to soaring price of rice, the nation’s beloved staple, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.

Support for Ishiba’s government was at 27.4%, down from 32.6% a month ago, a Kyodo poll showed, boding ill for his ruling Liberal Democratic Party and junior coalition partner Komeito in an upper house election slated for July.

The poll showed 87.1% of respondents found government measures addressing rising rice prices insufficient.

Retail rice prices are about double what they were a year ago after extreme heat hit crops and a tourism boom added to demand, although the government in March started releasing stockpiled rice into the market.

Reuters