The new minister in charge of issues related to Okinawa said Tuesday that the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) should be "re-examined" in light of the fatal crash off Australia of an Okinawa-based U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft, likely overstepping Tokyo's official line on the politically sensitive pact.

The remark by Tetsuma Esaki could be taken as calling for a revision to the agreement, which is not among the Abe government's policy goals.

Esaki was already under fire from opposition parties for having said Saturday — just two days after he was appointed — that he would "read aloud" texts prepared by bureaucrats to avoid making mistakes when answering questions in the Diet.