The former Japanese foreign minister, Makiko Tanaka, has told MPs that the prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, is losing sight of his reform agenda.

Mrs Tanaka said that while she was in office, she was undercut by old guard party leaders who were opposed to reform.

Mr Koizumi sacked the popular pro-reformist Mrs Tanaka and the deputy foreign minister last month, because he said her rows with officials were disrupting the government.

Mrs Tanaka made the comments at a hearing before the lower house budget committee about the dispute which led to her sacking.

The wrangle between Mrs Tanaka and her deputy centered on whether she had lied about who was entitled to attend an Afghan aid conference in Tokyo.

Opinion polls show that the prime ministers public support has dropped by around 20% following the sacking.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service