A dispute continued Friday among Cabinet members over who said what on the question of ways to increase local authorities' independence, with the public management minister criticizing the finance chief.
Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa "is angry over a misunderstanding for which he has only himself to blame," Toranosuke Katayama, minister of public management, home affairs, posts and telecommunications, said. "He is an elder member and should be on the side of settling issues, not complicating things."
Earlier in the week, Shiokawa accused economic and fiscal policy minister Heizo Takenaka of distorting Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's comments on the contentious issue of ways to promote decentralization.