The top government spokesman on Friday rushed to play down a suggestion by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that he was backing U.S. President George W. Bush ahead of the Nov. 2 election.

The eyebrow-raising remark was made Thursday evening, when reporters asked the prime minister about media polls showing Democratic candidate John Kerry coming out on top after the last televised debate.

"I don't want to interfere in an election in a foreign country, but I'd like President Bush to hang in there because he's a close friend," said Koizumi, who is known as a staunch Bush ally.