Japanese Deputy Minister at risk of losing job due to "slip of the tongue" statement
Vice Minister Tsukuda admitted that his remarks had shaken trust in the government and apologized for them.
Earlier this week, Tsukada Ichiro, Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, made a comment that raised many questions.
In his remarks on the road construction project connecting Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, Mr. Tsukada called Shimonoseki Mr. Abe's constituency, and Fukuoka Mr. Aso Taro's constituency.
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| Mr. Ichiro Tsukada, Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan. Photo: NHK. |
He said that both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister could not speak on issues related to their own constituencies, so he had to infer that they thought so.
Because of this statement, in recent days, at Government and National Assembly meetings, parliamentarians and Cabinet members have continuously questioned Mr. Tsukada, asking him to clarify the reason for making such a statement.
Meanwhile, this morning (April 5), a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party said that Deputy Minister Tsukuda is likely to resign because of his statement. Opposition parties also said that Mr. Tsukuda's resignation is reasonable. However, there are opinions that because local elections are taking place nationwide, Mr. Tsukuda's resignation on this occasion will affect the election results.
Mr. Tsukuda himself admitted that he had made statements that were different from the truth, causing trust in the government to be shaken, and apologized for this statement.
Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo commented on the statement of Deputy Minister of Land Tsukada Ichiro. Mr. Tsukada is currently being criticized for his statement on the road project related to the Prime Minister's constituency. Mr. Abe said that the Deputy Minister needs to give a clear explanation, and that his statement is problematic, but he will continue in his position./.