Irish PM office says IMF question was about 1980s

DUBLIN, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The office of Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen reiterated on Wednesday that he made no reference to the International Monetary Fund in comments made to public broadcaster RTE in Japan.

"The Taoiseach (prime minister) made no reference to the IMF," a spokesman at Cowen's office said. "The reference to the IMF was in the question and that referred to the economic situation in Ireland in the 1980s." (Reporting by Andras Gergely)