Defense minister disowns Hashimoto's remarks at int'l conference

This is good. This guy isn't in a position to make any kind of official apology, neither is it required of him, but it's a pleasing position to reinforce in a place like Singapore.

Very easy call to disown someone like Hashimoto.

Thank you Mr. Onodera

He also retracted advice he gave to U.S. military commanders in Japan that they should let their troops use licensed sex businesses as part of what he called a crime reduction strategy

This is an insult to Okinawans and hypocritical too, considering that non-Japanese who try visiting a soapland or imekura in Osaka are generally refused admittance.

What some of you fail to see is that while they are disowning the man's comments, which SEEMS good on the surface, they are at the same time denying the parts that Hashimoto was correct about -- that women were coerced into slavery by Imperial troops during WWII. "Abe doesn't recognize such history" is pretty tell-tale, after all.

I like this guy Onodera - always looks a bit tired or hungover, but always on the ball.

why did he bring the matter at this gathering? did somebody question him about the issue or Hashimoto?

Isn't it sad that Onodera had to say this or felt compelled to say this? Suga should have condemned Hashimoto's remarks but failed to do so. And after all the international condemnation his remarks caused Abe himself should have said something but he also failed to do so. And unless you're living in la la land, the saddest part of all this is NO ONE is surprised that Abe didn't condemn Hashimoto's remarks and EVERYONE knows exactly why.

Since Mr, Onodera was in Singapore but other Japanese Govt officials were not there, he must have been faced all sort of foreign media, especially Asian journalists, questions as soon as he landed there. He has experience in diplomacy beside he has personal experience of his house and his family house destroyed by tsunami in Miyagi Prefecture.