TOKYO -- Education minister Toshiko Abe has apologized for telling a Japanese Communist Party member during a committee meeting that she had a "beautiful face," and retracted her remarks.

During a March 24 meeting of the House of Councillors Committee on Education, Culture and Science, legislator Yoshiko Kira questioned the fairness of the method used to calculate teachers' overtime, specifically regarding the exclusion of break times in 2022 estimates. In response, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Abe remarked, "I can clearly understand that committee member Kira has gotten angry with a truly beautiful face."

In a post-Cabinet meeting news conference March 25, Abe expressed regret over her remarks, saying, "I sincerely apologize for the inappropriate comment that caused discomfort to many, including lawmaker Kira. I will discipline myself strictly and engage sincerely in Diet deliberations." When asked about her intent, she replied, "There was not much intention."

On that day, Kira revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that she had protested over Abe's comment on the spot, saying in her post. "It is unacceptable to comment on someone's appearance in the Diet."

(Japanese original by Buntaro Saito and Sahomi Nishimoto, Tokyo City News Department)