Japan's defence minister faces the sack, reports said Saturday, after a series of gaffes including describing the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen as a "sexual orgy incident".
Yasuo Ichikawa, who has only been in office for four months, was censured by parliament's opposition-controlled upper house in December, as was consumer affairs minister Kenji Yamaoka, who backed an alleged pyramid sales firm.
Both men are expected to be removed in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Jiji Press news agency and other media reported.
Noda, who took office in early September, is considering dismissing them in a bid to gain cooperation from the opposition to pass a budget and a package of tax and social reform bills through parliament, they said. (AFP)
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