Justice Minister Minoru Yanagida may face a censure motion over recent comments taken as snubbing his duty to respond to Diet questioning.
The Liberal Democratic Party was looking to submit the motion Wednesday to the Diet.
"He is not qualified for the Cabinet post," LDP Diet affairs chief Ichiro Aisawa said at a Wednesday meeting of the main opposition party. "We will decide whether we should submit censure motions against him to both the Lower House and the Upper House".
On Sunday, Yanagida told supporters in his Hiroshima constituency, "Being the justice minister is easy, as I only have to remember two phrases, either of which I can use in the Diet whenever I'm stuck for an answer," citing the phrases — "I refrain from making comments over a specific issue" and "We are dealing with the matter based on laws and evidence".
The remark quickly sparked a firestorm of criticism among opposition lawmakers, prompting Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku to summon Yanagida to the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Wednesday to issue him a verbal reprimand.
After meeting with Sengoku, Yanagida said at the Upper House's Budget Committee: "My comments lacked prudence. I will respond to questioning at the Diet sincerely and I apologize from the bottom of my heart".
Sengoku said Yanagida's remarks could have been misunderstood and he reprimanded the minister so he would more carefully fulfill his duties and engage in Diet discussions.
But opposition lawmakers continued to attack Yanagida on Wednesday. New Komeito head Natsuo Yamaguchi called his remarks too careless.
"The administration's lack of seriousness is a grave situation," Yamaguchi said.
Keiji Kokuta, Diet affairs chief of the Japanese Communist Party, questioned if Yanagida is qualified to be the justice minister, adding, "(Such remarks) not only derided the Diet but also the people". Kyodo News
The Japan Times
