Japan Justice Minister Kawai resigns over scandal, 2nd minister to quit in a week

Japan’s Justice Minister stepped down on Thursday (Oct 31) – the second resignation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet in less than a week – after a media report that his office gave out gifts such as potatoes and corn to constituents.
The report in weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun also said Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai’s wife, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Anri Kawai, had paid campaign staff more than what was allowed by law.
In tendering his resignation, Mr Kawai said that he and his wife knew nothing about the reported allegations but that he wanted to avoid harm to the justice system through the loss of the public’s trust while investigations were underway.

Mr Kawai’s abrupt resignation came six days after that of former trade and industry minister, Mr Isshu Sugawara, who had been accused of election law violations by allegedly giving gifts of melons and crabs to voters in his Tokyo constituency.