The Japanese government has posted proof that PM Takaichi worked as a Congressional Fellow in the 1980s.
The staffer who referred to her as an "intern" has said "she was technically a Congressional Fellow."
Many non-native English speakers are interpreting this in what I would consider a very wrong way. I don't think he was trying to belittle Takaichi or emphasize that she was a "fellow" in title only. In this context, Mr. Cheroutes was clearly correcting remarks he'd made to the media. He said she was an "intern," but was asked to clarify, and noted that she was a Congressional Fellow (her technical/official title).
In DC (where I was born), it is common to use the word "intern" to refer to a variety of non-permanent positions, including fellowships. In Japanese, the word intern tends to be attached to less important jobs.
Mr. Cheroutes probably had no idea that Japanese people would read his original remarks, attach their own interpretation to the word "intern," and try to label Takaichi as a fraud.
記事引用だけの「取材に基づかない」記事でしたので、引用元の米記事でインタビューされているキップ・シェルーテスさん（総理の米国時代元同僚）に直接「取材」したところ、「She was technically a Congressional Fellow」（彼女は正確に言えばコングレショナル・フェロー）とのことでした（続く）