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Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka (right) listens to an aide as Your Party lawmaker Kenji Nakanishi directs questions at the minister during an upper house budget committee meeting on Jan. 31. (Mainichi)

Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka repeatedly issued corrections and apologies during meetings of both the House of Representatives and House of Councillors budget committees on Jan. 31.

When asked during an upper house budget committee meeting which country was providing security for the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) participating in peacekeeping activities in South Sudan, Tanaka responded: "It hasn't been decided yet."

Laughter ensued from fellow Diet members.

Opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) legislator Eriko Yamatani sarcastically urged accompanying bureaucrats: "Please, inform (the minister)." However, it was not a bureaucrat, but Senior Vice Minister of Defense Shu Watanabe, who quickly lent a helping hand. "Bangladesh," he said.

"I'm very sorry," Tanaka said, in response to demands for an apology.

Tanaka was also asked to provide a rationale for the U.S. Marines' continued presence in Okinawa, and was unable to answer. Amid taunts from opposition legislators to "read out the paperwork," Tanaka simply read aloud off the papers given to him by a bureaucrat. Both Watanabe and several aides sat close by, whispering into Tanaka's ear after each question. And yet, the minister continued to get stuck. At one point, upper house budget committee chair and fellow Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) member Hajime Ishii said: "I wish you'd just say that you don't know (the answer) if you don't."

Tanaka, who was appointed to his post in mid-January, has since come under fire as lacking the qualifications to be defense minister, and for revelations that the ministry's Okinawa Defense Bureau may have tried to meddle with the upcoming Ginowan mayoral election. As such, he is bound to face further attacks from the opposition.

Asked if Tanaka's appointment as defense minister was appropriate, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said: "He may have been slightly nervous, as (the questioning took place) so soon after his appointment."