Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tatsunori Ibayashi apologized at a House of Councillors committee on Thursday for a political funding party he held in Tokyo in October, weeks after entering the cabinet.
"With strict eyes turned on the words and conduct of cabinet ministers, I did not exercise sufficient care," Ibayashi said at the upper house land and transport committee, according to Kyodo News.
Ibayashi entered the cabinet for the first time in the September reshuffle. The minister's code asks ministers to refrain from holding such parties, except where payment for them was made before taking office. It had already emerged that he received some of the payments after he was appointed.
He repeated his explanation that invitations to participants had gone out before he took office, saying he believes the event does not violate the code. He was answering questions from Masakazu Usui of the Liberal Democratic Party and Takashi Tsukasa of Komeito.
Shinkansen route funding talks
On the Nagasaki route of the shinkansen, Ibayashi said the ministry would respond if the two prefectures concerned want to discuss funding, adding that it would do so "if necessary." The source does not name the prefectures or give further detail on the talks.