Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday he regrets calling his broken promises on economic and financial measures "no big deal" during a Diet budget committee meeting last week.
"I'm sorry for making that remark. It was inappropriate," Koizumi told a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, referring to the remark he made a similar session of the committee Thursday.
"I understand the importance of implementing reforms. I wanted to say my fundamental policy line (to maintain structural reforms) is unchanged," despite calls for changes amid the slower-than-expected recovery of the economy, he said.
He made the remark while being questioned by opposition leader Naoto Kan, who accused Koizumi of breaking his pledge to limit the amount of yearly issuance of new government bonds to 30 trillion yen.
Kan, president of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, also criticized Koizumi for postponing the planned imposition of a refund cap on deposits.