Kwan Weng Kin on Taro Aso's latest gaffe.

In Tokyo

TARO Aso has put his foot in his mouth again, and much sooner than anyone had expected.This time, the Liberal Democratic Party's Secretary-General is accused of comparing the opposition Democratic Party of Japan to the Nazis.

Japanese voters are well aware of the former foreign minister's foibles, notably his tendency to use the wrong word at the wrong time, when they voted him the most popular candidate for prime minister in surveys conducted over the weekend.

So this latest episode is unlikely to dent Mr Aso's popularity.

Why, he may even have done the opposition a service by pointing out its faults.