Defense Minister Tomomi Inada again denied Friday that she was involved in an alleged cover-up of the politically sensitive Ground Self-Defense Force activity logs from conflict-riven South Sudan and rebuffed calls for her resignation.

Facing a packed news conference at the Defense Ministry, a solemn Inada repeatedly denied approving a cover-up and stressed her willingness to cooperate with an internal investigation into the scandal that she ordered in March.

"I have consistently advocated for more proactive information disclosure and worked hard to shed light on the truth. The allegation that I approved a withdrawal or cover-up of information is incompatible with my attitude to date," Inada said.