Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, took another blow as his disaster reconstruction minister quit, having caused a furore with scathing remarks to leaders of tsunami-hit regions.

Ryu Matsumoto yesterday departed the post he assumed only a week earlier after he gave a regional leader a dressing-down because he showed up to a meeting a few minutes late. The incident was caught on camera and Mr Matsumoto then tried to bully journalists into keeping it quiet, but instead saw his comments aired on TV and turned into a YouTube sensation.

Ryu Matsumoto. Credit:AFP

The latest foot-in-mouth scandal to claim the scalp of a Japanese politician piled more pressure on Mr Kan, whose approval rating plunged below 20 per cent in a recent poll.