Although the scandal in which tainted rice was resold to some 380 companies in 24 prefectures highlights outrageous behavior on the part of an Osaka rice-flour processor, the resignation of farm minister Mr. Seiichi Ota indicates that the farm ministry was also to blame. The ministry should determine the flaws in its inspection system and work out measures to prevent a similar scandal.

The ministry says that since fiscal 2003 Mikasa Foods has bought 1,408 tons of tainted rice that government imported as "minimum access" stock under 1994 world trade rules. Although the firm was supposed to use the rice for nonedible purposes, it has been found that 135 tons of rice contaminated with the pesticide methamidophos ended up at more than 300 companies and was used to make Japanese cakes and food-service products including school lunches. Most of the rice has already been consumed.

It has also been found that 484 tons of rice contaminated with acetamiprid, another pesticide, ended up at 12 companies, and 2.8 tons of rice contaminated with aflatoxin, a mold toxin, at five companies. Included are alcoholic beverage makers. Three more companies were found to have resold tainted rice.

In January 2007, the farm ministry received a letter from a whistle-blower but could not confirm wrongdoing until it received details from a well-informed source last month. Over the past five years, ministry workers have inspected Mikasa's processing process but didn't notice irregularities. It is said that the ministry notified Mikasa of inspection dates beforehand. Ministry workers only checked transaction slips and the amount of stock without trying to determine actual resale routes.

The ministry colored rice contaminated with cadmium to prevent its use for edible purposes, but did not do so with rice contaminated with pesticides or mold toxins. Clearly, the ministry made light of the risk from tainted rice. It is outrageous that the ministry's then vice minister, Mr. Toshiro Shirasu, said that the ministry was not responsible for the scandal. The ministry should quickly develop a system that can keep tainted rice out of circulation.