The administration distanced itself Tuesday from the brewing controversy stemming from a visit by former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to Iran, which was carried out over government objections.
Hatoyama was quoted by Tehran as criticizing the International Atomic Energy Agency for "applying double standards" to the country in his talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but the former prime minister denied making such comments after he returned to Japan on Monday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference that Hatoyama, having visited Iran in a "private capacity," should "settle the matter (on his own) by protesting to the Iranian side."