TOKYO: A member of Japan's cabinet drew fierce criticism on Friday after suggesting that feminism was behind the killing of a 12- year-old girl, allegedly by a female classmate at her school.

Kiichi Inoue, the minister responsible for disaster management, said Satomi Mitarai's death on Tuesday was proof that Japanese women were becoming more assertive.

"This must be the first case of its kind involving a girl," he said at a televised news conference.

"The differences between men and women seem to be disappearing. This indicates that there are more assertive women around than there used to be, although the same could be said of every society."

He was immediately rebuked. Hiroyuki Hosoda, the chief cabinet secretary, told journalists: "I don't think the question of male or female has anything to do with discussions of this."

He had told Mr Inoue to be more careful in his remarks, saying the incident should be taken seriously because of the ages of those involved. "Given the circumstances, it is inappropriate to say things that could be misunderstood."

Mr Inoue, who later maintained that he had not been referring to the killing but to society in general, is not the first male Japanese politician accused of making sexist remarks while discussing rising crime.

Last year, a former cabinet minister said women who dressed provocatively had themselves to blame if they were sexually assaulted.

Mr Inoue's remarks came as details emerged of the events that led to the killing at a primary school in Sasebo, about 600 miles south- west of Tokyo.

According to media reports, the 11-year-old suspect allegedly summoned her victim to an empty study room during the lunch break and forced her to sit down.

She was said to have tried unsuccessfully to blindfold Satomi from behind, and then to have covered the girl's face with her hands and stabbed her in the neck and arms with a paper cutter.-Dawn/The Guardian News Service.