Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2018 January 24 - 30 [POLITICS]

State minister resigns over his abusive remark about US military aircraft accidents in Okinawa

State Minister of Cabinet Office Matsumoto Fumiaki on January 26 resigned from his post due to his abusive remark concerning frequent accidents in Okinawa involving U.S. military aircraft.

On the previous day, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo in the House of Representatives plenary meeting brought up the issue of frequent part-drop accidents and emergency landings by the U.S. forces which have intensified Okinawans’ anxiety about safety, demanding that the Japanese government urge the U.S. military to suspend flight drills.

During Shii’s interpellation, Matsumoto sitting at the meeting jeered Shii, saying, “How many people were killed in those accidents?”

Concerning Matsumoto’s resignation, Shii later in the day said that the government minister’s remark should not come as a surprise considering high-handed attitude of the Abe government toward Okinawa. He stressed, “Matsumoto’s resignation will not put an end to the issue. Abe should be held responsible for having appointed such a problematic person as a state minister.”