Blow to Abe as trade minister set to resign
Print Edition
IN a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan’s new trade and industry minister will resign over allegations that groups backing her misused political funds, Japanese media said.
Yuko Obuchi, the 40-year-old daughter of a former prime minister, plans to report on her investigation of the questionable funding today and then submit her resignation to Abe, the Nikkei and Sankei newspapers said yesterday.
Abe tapped Obuchi, a telegenic mother of two, less than two months ago to head the powerful Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. She was one of five women Abe chose in a cabinet reshuffle in a bid to bolster his popularity by showing his commitment to promoting women.
Regarded as a contender to become Japan’s first woman prime minister, Obuchi apologized during a parliamentary grilling last Thursday over media reports of the misuse of funds, which could violate electoral and political funding laws.
The departure would be the first cabinet resignation for Abe, who took office in December 2012. His previous stint as prime minister in 2006-2007 was marked by scandals among his ministers, several of whom were forced to resign and one who committed suicide.
The Obuchi scandal comes as Abe faces a decision whether to proceed with a planned but unpopular increase in the sales tax, after a tax hike in April pushed the world’s third-largest economy into its deepest quarterly slump since the 2009 global financial crisis.
Support for Abe has begun to sag a little, a survey at the weekend by Kyodo news agency showed, falling 6.8 points to 48.1 percent from a previous survey in September. The scandal around Obuchi may have affected the rating, Kyodo News said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
