A Tory MP who used a ‘racial slur’ against the Japanese – and then claimed he was complementing their defence industry – has been appointed a shadow defence minister.
The Japanese government officially complained about the comments, made in the House of Commons by ex-armed forces minister Mark Francois.
Japan is considered one of the UK’s closest allies in the region, and last year the two countries signed a defence agreement.
The outcry erupted after Mr Francois, who has been made a shadow minister by new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, used the word “J***” in parliament to refer to the Japanese.
In 2022 he asked the then defence secretary Ben Wallace about delays to the Type 26 frigate, adding: “Why does it take BAE Systems 11 years to build a ship the J*** can build in four?”
His comments were condemned as an “ethnic slur” by Labour MP Sarah Owen.
The speaker of the Commons Lindsay Hoyle said the phrase “should not be used”.
Mr Francois later said in a statement that he meant “no disrespect or offence” and had used the term “as an abbreviation for Japanese, as I had, by then, been asking an admittedly rather wordy question, about naval shipbuilding”.
He added that the “record clearly shows, I actually complimented the Japanese shipbuilding industry, for building warships much faster than here in Britain."
His comments sparked a diplomatic incident. At the time the Japanese Embassy in London said it had lodged a complaint.
A spokesman told The Independent: “The Embassy of Japan informed MP Mark Francois that the word used was inappropriate and requested the correction.”
Foreign secretary David Lammy, then the shadow foreign secretary also condemned the remarks, saying: "Mark Francois’ backwards slur is sadly typical of the Conservatives blundering attempts at diplomacy that are leaving the UK increasingly isolated on the world stage.”
In 2019 Mr Francois also attacked a German business leader for saying Brexiteers were "mad" to say his company would never leave the UK.
At the time he said: "My father, Reginald Francois, was a D-Day veteran. He never submitted to bullying by any German and neither will his son".
Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “Mark Francois is a divisive politician. He has a history of using appalling and offensive language.
“The Conservative Shadow Cabinet is full of the same old sleaze and scandal.”
