Farm Minister Akagi resigns after meager 2 months

Farm Minister Norihiko Akagi handed in his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday, admitting the office expense scandals he had become embroiled in had hampered the Liberal Democratic Party’s Upper House campaigning, resulting in the crushing defeat the party was handed down Sunday.

Akagi’s support groups were found to have filed multi-million yen expenditures on offices that were not in use, first Akagi’s own father’s home which the father himself denied was used as an office, later a second office in Tokyo. Thirdly, it was found that his secretaries had photocopied a receipt and registered it as two different expenses. Though the opposition and the general public called for Akagi to make the receipts for the dubious expenses official, Akagi staunchly refused, saying it was a matter which would be dealt with in the Diet.

Akagi’s puzzling appearance at an election campaign press conference, with large bandages plastered over his face and refusing to explain his state, did little to improve his standing, although he eventually admitted he had suffered from a follicle-related rash.

“Media reports concerning myself and other factors had an impact on the election and it was all too clear that it was a factor that invited the loss of the ruling coalition,” Akagi admitted to reporters.

Akagi will be the third minister in Abe’s Cabinet to resign, fourth if you include his predecessor Toshikatsu Matsuoka who committed suicide amid an office expense scandal much similar to the one that has hit Akagi, which is remarkable in a Cabinet that was only inaugurated in September, 2006. Akagi, however, has only been on his post for two months.

Akagi had the previous day announced he had no intention of resigning, but the very same day the Prime Minister later hinted he intended to let the Farm Minister go, giving Akagi little choice but to hand in his resignation.

Abe has announced he is planning a reshuffle of the Cabinet, but has refused to resign himself. Some political analysts say Abe’s only hope of surviving is to make a fresh start by selecting a line-up of heavyweights, possibly augmented by people with no background in politics.