Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Monday that Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka criticized U.S. plans for a National Missile Defense system when she met with her Australian counterpart last week.
Fukuda said that during a phone conversation earlier in the day, former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto confirmed that during a discussion May 29, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told him he was concerned by anti-U.S. remarks Tanaka made the day before.
Fukuda told a news conference that he expects Tanaka to "clearly explain her remarks to the U.S. to remove any misunderstanding."