If there is one way you can count on Japanese politicians, it is their ability to make headlines by putting their foot in their mouth.

Time and again, high-profile politicians and Cabinet ministers have placed their careers in jeopardy over slips of the tongue, misstatements and even downright insults. The most recent example is Masahiro Imamura, who was forced to resign as reconstruction minister last month after saying "it was good" the 2011 mega-quake hit the Tohoku region instead of Tokyo.

Experts point out a variety of factors for the phenomenon, from politicians' deteriorating caliber to their psychological collusion with those they perceive as their "family," and the Japanese media's propensity to find fault with their remarks.