TOKYO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Japan's main opposition Democratic Party on Wednesday intensified its demands for Defense Minister Tomomi Inada to resign for providing a false explanation to the Diet regarding her links to a controversial school operator.
The party's deputy Diet Affairs Chief Hirofumi Ryu said that Inada had provided a false explanation to the Diet regarding her links to a controversial school operator and that this should not be excused.
On Monday Inada told the Diet she did not provide legal advice to Yasunori Kagoike, the operator of Moritomo Gakuen in Osaka. The operator is embroiled in a cut-price land scandal connected to the government.
On Tuesday, however, Inada reversed her position saying that she did provide legal counsel to Kagoike and represented Moritomo Gakuen as a defense attorney.
Inada retracted her initial remarks saying she provided legal counsel Kagoike in a civil lawsuit. Court records also showed she represented Moritomo Gakuen as its defense lawyer in court.
Inada, a lawyer-turned-politician, said that her initial statement was not a lie and was based on her forgetting what had happened.
Ryu slammed Inada Wednesday saying she was not fit to serve as the nation's defense minister. He also said that the opposition bloc had previously called for her to resign over her handling of a report connected to Japan's Self-Defense Force's activities while on a U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
Inada also faced staunch criticism Wednesday from ruling coalition party members including Komeito Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue and LDP Diet Affairs Chief Wataru Takeshita.
Inoue said she should pay attention to the gravity her words carry as defense minister and act with more care. Takeshita said he would caution Inada about the way she has acted.
Democratic Party lawmaker Hideya Sugio on Wednesday also called for Inada to resign and also said she was unfit to continue in her current position.
Inada maintained that she had already retracted her original statement and apologized. She said she is still not exactly clear when she first met Kagoike, but stated it was around 13 years ago and likely through a mutual interest in conservative politics.
Moritomo Gakuen runs the Tsukamoto kindergarten in Osaka that is known for its nationalist curriculum. Kagoike, who also serves as the school's head, has also been accused of disseminating hate speech to parents of the children at the school.
In response to claims Inada had met Kagoike as recently as 2 years ago, Inada says she does not remember meeting him, but said it was possible that they may have both attended the same meetings.
Inada also denied having anything to do with an official certificate of appreciation that was sent to Kagoike in 2016.
