High-handed remarks by newly appointed Tohoku reconstruction minister Ryu Matsumoto rocked the political world Monday, inflaming the opposition and inflicting another headache upon the ailing Cabinet of Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
Opposition lawmakers said they might call on Matsumoto to resign after he chastized the governors of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, and also seemed to threaten reporters on Sunday.
"You should form a consensus within the prefecture, OK? Otherwise, we won't do anything (to help). Understand?" Matsumoto said to Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai in an abrasive meeting that has already seen local TV footage make its way to YouTube.