Embattled Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Tuesday that she has still not given up on attending U.N. General Assembly and Group of Eight foreign ministers' meetings in New York, despite her request again being turned down by the Diet.
Tanaka on Monday met with Tadamori Oshima, chairman of the Diet affairs committee of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, to ask for Diet permission to attend the international meetings starting Saturday, but lawmakers rejected her request, citing a rule requiring a state minister to be present in Diet deliberations on the supplementary budget.
Tanaka's repeated request came after leaders of the ruling and opposition parties decided not to approve her trip last week, apparently in retaliation over ministry personnel disputes and as punishment for being late for an important diplomatic meeting.