Japan's Defense Minister Tomomi Inada has apologized for what she called a misleading remark in her speech supporting a candidate in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election.
But she refused to resign as defense minister, saying she's determined to fulfill her duty.
On Tuesday, Inada asked voters to cast ballots for a Liberal Democratic Party candidate. She said the request came from the Defense Ministry, the Self-Defense Forces, the defense minister and the LDP.
She later retracted the remark. The opposition camp is calling on the prime minister to dismiss her.
Inada told reporters on Friday that by referring to the SDF, she meant to express gratitude to locals for hosting one of its bases. A Tokyo ward neighboring the candidate's constituency hosts the base.
Source: Kyodo
