The nation's largest opposition party has identified a new target for attack: the gaffe-prone, apparently pro-government chairman of NHK, the country's sole public broadcaster.
On Wednesday, the Democratic Party of Japan invited NHK Chairman Katsuto Momii to a meeting to discuss NHK's midterm business management plan.
But what ensued ranged from an animated exchange of views to outright jeering by DPJ lawmakers. Video clips of the meeting were widely and repeatedly aired by national TV stations later in the day and on Thursday.