Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori came under fire Wednesday for skipping a reception the night before hosted by Norway's visiting King Harald V, only to later dine at a sushi restaurant with his LDP colleagues.
"I recognize nothing controversial about it," Mori told reporters at his Official Residence, saying that he skipped the king's reception because of a backache.
"You guys do not listen to anybody and are just being selfish," he said, lashing out against the media coverage of the issue.