WORLD / Asia-Pacific
Japanese farm minister commits suicide
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-05-28 14:00
TOKYO - A scandal-tainted minister in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet
has committed suicide, media reported on Monday, compounding problems for
the Japanese leader whose support had already dived ahead of a July
election.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talks to the media at the Prime
Minister's official residence in Tokyo May 28, 2007. A scandal-tainted
minister in Abe's cabinet has committed suicide, media reported on
Monday, compounding problems for the Japanese leader whose support had
already dived ahead of a July election. [Reuters]
The suicide by Agriculture Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka came two months
before an election for parliament's upper house, the first big test at
the polls for Abe's ruling coalition.
"This will have serious political fallout, but at this point it's hard to
tell how much," a government official told Reuters.
Matsuoka - under fire for a series of political funding scandals - was
found unconscious in his room at a residential complex for lawmakers in
Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told reporters.
Media said Matsuoka had hanged himself in his room. Police later
confirmed had died in hospital.
Local media had linked Matsuoka to at least two political fund scandals
including one involving massive, dubious spending on his office near
parliament.
Last week media also reported that he had received political donations
from businessmen involved in a bid-rigging scandal.
Matsuoka had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The suicide came as Abe's public support rate slumped to its lowest level
since he took office last September, increasing chances his ruling camp
could lose its majority in the July upper house election.
Only 32 percent of the voters who responded to a weekend survey by the
Mainichi newspaper backed Abe, down 11 points from April, while a
separate poll by the Nikkei business daily put the prime minister's
support rate at 41 percent, down 12 points.
The Mainichi survey showed that 42 percent of the voters want the main
opposition Democratic Party to win the July election, compared with 33
percent who want Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party to win.
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