The recent series of verbal gaffes committed by Japanese politicians has whet the media's appetite for high-calorie, low-nutrition "gotcha" quotes.
Takami Eto, one of the oldest members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a known reliquary of boneheaded bon mots, was ambushed in the corridors of power two weeks ago. He was asked his opinion about a comment attributed to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda about an earlier comment by fellow LDP member Seiichi Ota defending some men who gang-raped a woman. Fukuda indicated that he thought female rape victims sometimes asked for it.
Eto took the bait. "I arrived at Tokyo Station the other day, and I saw women who were practically naked," he said before turning to an off-camera reporter, presumably a woman, and adding, "You shouldn't dress like that, even if you have confidence in yourself."