The Democratic Party called Monday for the new minister in charge of issues related to Okinawa to be sacked after he made a gaffe just two days after being assigned the post in the latest Cabinet reshuffle.
Tetsuma Esaki told reporters Saturday that he would "read aloud" text prepared by government bureaucrats so as not to make mistakes when responding to questions in the Diet, something ministers regularly do but rarely admit to doing — especially in public.
The 73-year-old lawmaker from Aichi Prefecture also told reporters after a gathering in his constituency the same day that he is an "amateur" in regard to issues related to the disputed Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, which his Cabinet portfolio also covers. That places him in charge of issues related to those islands, though his role does not cover diplomatic negotiations.