Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary expresses regret over Soma’s remarks

About the sexually indecent expression‎ that Deputy Chief of Mission Hirohisa Soma made about President Moon Jae-in, the Japanese government said Monday that the remarks were “extremely inappropriate and highly regrettable.”

At a press conference on Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the remarks by Hirohisa Soma, the deputy chief of mission, were very inappropriate for a diplomat under any circumstance or context, expressing strong regret about it.

The Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun and NHK reported the inappropriate remarks by Soma, adding that the official was reprimanded by Ambassador Koichi Aiboshi afterwards. The reports were mostly facts-based rather than op-eds.


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