Kyodo News
Gen Nakatani, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's security policy panel, enraged the opposition camp Sunday by calling opponents of Japan's antiterrorism refueling mission "terrorists" in criticizing the camp dissenting against the mission.
"Only terrorists would oppose this," Nakatani, chairman of the LDP Research Commission on Security, said on a Fuji TV talk show, emphasizing a view that it is significant for Japan to continue refueling ships of countries taking part in the U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan.
Asked by the program host if he thinks of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan as "a group of terrorists," Nakatani, who was director general of the Defense Agency, did not deny it and said, "I cannot understand (opposition to the mission)."
The remarks drew a strong protest from DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama, who said at a news conference in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, "Given that about 30 percent of the public are opposed to the refueling activities, it means three in 10 Japanese are terrorists."
"It's outrageous that such horrendous remarks were made before TV cameras," Hatoyama said.
The Japanese government's bid to continue the mission is the hottest issue in the ongoing parliamentary session because the DPJ-led opposition camp, which holds a majority in the House of Councillors, is opposed to the idea.