Irish embassy denies report PM Cowen eyeing IMF

TOKYO (Reuters) - A media report quoting Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen saying his country may need to call on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is "completely false," the Irish embassy in Tokyo said on Wednesday.

"That's complete false," said a press officer at the Irish embassy in Tokyo, where Cowen is on a trade mission.

"He outlined the policies the Irish government is taking to ensure that we overcome the economic difficulties."

Irish public broadcaster RTE said on its website (www.rte.ie) that Cowen had confirmed while in Tokyo that the IMF could be called in if the economy continued to worsen.

The broadcaster also quoted Cowen as saying people had to 'get real' about the sharpness of the downturn.

(Reporting by Chisa Fujioka; Editing by Rodney Joyce)