Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on Tuesday reiterated her demand for the transfer of Akitaka Saiki, head of the ministry's Personnel Division, claiming he was "manipulating personnel matters."
In yet another clash with bureaucrats, Tanaka told a news conference, "I have been seeking the transfers of the heads of the personnel and accounting divisions in the Foreign Minister's Secretariat since the reshuffle of senior officials (on Aug. 10), but they have not yet been realized."
On Monday night, Tanaka locked herself in the office of the Personnel Division's appointments section for nearly 90 minutes and ordered a staff member to prepare a document for Saiki's transfer to a generic post in the Minister's Secretariat. The staffers refused, saying they did not have the authority to do it.
One reason for the latest dispute with Saiki was his failure to inform her about invitations for ministry officials to the Imperial Palace's annual autumn garden party next month, she said.
Tanaka was not included on the roster.
"I just learned yesterday that 14 invitations for the ministry came on Aug. 6, and they did not show me the list until yesterday," Tanaka told a news conference.