TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, its ratings slipping over suspicions of favouritism, has suffered a fresh embarrassment when his defence minister made politically sensitive remarks just days ahead of a key local election.
Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, speaking on Tuesday at a rally for ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates in Sunday's Tokyo Metropolitan assembly election, asked for voter support saying the request was from "the defence ministry, the Self-Defense Forces, the defence minister and the LDP".