Tetsuma Esaki, the newly-appointed minister in charge of Okinawa economic promotion and territorial issues, is known as a cheerful, friendly politician.
But the usual genial demeanor of the Lower House member elected from Aichi Prefecture took a more somber turn during a joint interview with The Japan Times and other media outlets on Wednesday.
He said he has done some "soul-searching" over past remarks he made that have caused public controversy, including his proposal to revise the Status of Forces Agreement governing the U.S. military presence in Japan.