Compassionate conservatism in Japan?

Sounds like it.

Japan's gaffe-prone prime minister is in trouble again -- this time for a remark criticizing the elderly as a tax burden for racking up medical expenses.

"They're hobbling around and constantly going to the doctor," Prime Minister Taro Aso was quoted as saying in a transcript of a Nov. 20 meeting of ministers on economic policies.

Aso also said the elderly should be faulted for not exercising enough.

The transcript was released overnight, drawing immediate criticism in the Japanese media and forcing an apology from the prime minister Thursday.

"I apologize if the remarks offended people who are suffering illnesses," Aso said on nationally televised news.

He told reporters that he intended to talk about the value of preventive medicine and merely highlight the gap between people who take care of their health and those who do not.