Gaffe costs Japan’s transport minister his job, Sonja Heydeman, Radio Australia, ABC, 29 September 2008
“The Japanese transport minister, Nariaki Nakayama has resigned. less than a week after taking the job. He’s been criticised for a series of remarks – such as calling Japan’s largest teachers’ union “a cancer”, and referring to campaigners opposed to airport expansion as “squeaky wheels”. Mr Nakayama will be replaced as transport minister by Kazuyoshi Kaneko. It is a setback the new prime minister, Taro Aso, could do without, having been in his own job for less than a week.”