Prime Minister Taro Aso apologized Thursday over the abrupt exit in disgrace of Shoichi Nakagawa as finance minister and accepted responsibility for appointing him.
"There were no cases in the past where a finance minister was replaced during Diet deliberations" of a budget bill, Aso said during a Lower House Budget Committee session.
"I really apologize for this," he said, stressing that swift enactment of the fiscal 2009 budget should be the Diet's priority.