Photo/Illutration Taro Aso, vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, gives a speech in Ashiya, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Jan. 28. (Ayako Nakada)

ASHIYA, Fukuoka Prefecture--Ruling party heavyweight Taro Aso praised Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa as a “rising star” but denigrated her appearance, saying she is not “that beautiful.”

During a speech here on Jan. 28, Aso, vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, also called Kamikawa an “obasan” (middle-aged woman), which can be a derogatory term.

Aso was commenting on Kamikawa’s diplomatic performance on a September visit to New York, days after she was appointed foreign minister.

“I would not say she’s that beautiful,” he said. “But she speaks with dignity, speaks properly in English and makes appointments with people she needs to see on her own, without help from diplomats.”

“Even we thought that this obasan is a real go-getter,” he added.

Aso, a former prime minister and foreign minister, is known for his verbal gaffes.

In the speech, he also said, “I don’t think a woman has ever served as Japan’s foreign minister (before Kamikawa).”

Kamikawa is actually the nation’s third female foreign minister after Makiko Tanaka and Yoriko Kawaguchi, who both served under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during the early 2000s.

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