Most of the recent food-related scandals were motivated by pure greed, so they were easy to understand. The current scandal involving inedible imported rice bought from the government and sold as edible rice is more complicated and raises some questions. How do the governments of the countries that produced the imported rice feel when they learn that the Japanese authorities say it is "unfit for consumption?" And does that mean that the consumers in those countries are in danger?

Based on the vast amount of information about the scandal in the media, it's easy to get the impression that Japan's agriculture ministry is as responsible for the scandal as is Mikasa Foods, the company that sold the inedible rice. But the main villain according to a lot of media pundits is none other than former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, because he's the person who liberalized the rice market in 2003.

Prior to liberalization, rice was strictly controlled. Buyers and sellers of rice had to have licenses, which Koizumi did away with. All anyone had to do if they wanted to buy or sell rice was report the transaction to the government. The obvious result of this change was greater competition and a steep drop in prices. The hidden result is that it became easier to get around regulations.