Japan lawmaker ousted from party over remarks about war with Russia

An opposition lawmaker was expelled Tuesday from the Japan Innovation Party after coming under fire for alluding to Japan waging war with Russia to regain control of islands at the center of a territorial dispute.Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui, who leads the party, said House of Representatives member Hodaka Maruyama should resign as a lawmaker as his controversial remarks during a recent visit to one of the four disputed islands off Hokkaido, northern Japan, cannot be tolerated.The Japan Innovation Party expelled the 35-year-old lawmaker after he offered to leave the party amid mounting critici…READ FULL ARTICLE