The Foreign Ministry came under attack Sunday from ruling coalition lawmakers over a controversy stemming from a decision to exclude two nongovernmental organizations from the Tokyo conference on Afghan aid last week.
Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in a Sunday TV program the ministry must develop a consistent policy on the issue of NGOs and adhere to it.
It has been widely reported that Muneo Suzuki, head of the House of Representatives Steering Committee, urged the ministry to ban the NGOs from participating the conference due to their "antigovernment" stance.
Suzuki, who is widely viewed as influential in shaping foreign policy, particularly concerning Japan's ties with Russia, has denied any involvement.
Also on Sunday, Takeshi Noda, chief of the New Conservative Party, said it would be troublesome to learn Suzuki had exerted influence over the ministry's decisions, adding, "We, the ruling coalition, need to hear what the Foreign Ministry has to say about it."
Meanwhile, Naoto Kan, secretary general of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, said he wants Suzuki and the ministry's senior officials to testify on the issue at the Lower House Budget Committee.
He also suggested it might be necessary to relieve Suzuki of his post and bar him from future positions related to foreign policies if the senior LDP politician has used his influence to affect ministry decisions.