Japan official hangs self amid scandal
Japan official hangs self amid scandalBy HIROKO TABUCHI
Associated Press Writer
The coffin of Japan's Agriculture Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka is brought to a funeral hall for his wake in Tokyo, Monday, May 28, 2007. Matsuoka, 62, died Monday after hanging himself just hours before he was to face questioning in a political scandal, officials said, dealing a powerful blow to the increasingly beleaguered government ahead of important elections in July.
TOKYO --A scandal-tainted Cabinet member who headed Japan's powerful agriculture ministry hanged himself just hours before he faced questioning Monday over alleged bookkeeping fraud.
The death of Toshikatsu Matsuoka dealt another blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ailing government at a critical time before the leader's first big test at the polls in July.
An autopsy on Matsuoka, 62, showed he had hanged himself, according to a Tokyo Metropolitan Police official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing policy. Matsuoka was found unconscious in his apartment shortly after noon on Monday and declared dead hours later. He became the first serving Cabinet member to kill himself since World War II.
Local media reports said Matsuoka hanged himself in his pajamas with a rope resembling a dog leash and had left multiple suicide notes, including ones addressed to Abe and the public, apologizing for his actions. Police refused to confirm details.
Matsuoka was criticized over a scandal involving suspicious bookkeeping practices and was scheduled to appear before a parliamentary committee Monday for questioning. He allegedly claimed more than $236,000 in utility fees even though he rented a parliamentary office where utility costs are free.
Matsuoka also faced separate scandals related to bid-rigging and political contributions, triggering calls for his resignation even from within his own ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Abe had defended Matsuoka, however, saying the minister's funds were properly handled and his dismissal was not needed.
Abe has already been hit by the departure of one Cabinet official, Administrative Reform Minister Genichiro Sata, who was forced to resign in December over alleged misuse of political funds. Matsuoka's death also adds to the pressure on Abe ahead of July 22 elections for the upper house of parliament.
\"The effects on the Cabinet will be great,\" Abe told reporters before heading to Matsuoka's wake late Monday. \"I feel deeply conscious of my responsibility as prime minister, and as the one who appointed him.\"
Matsuoka oversaw a powerful ministry in charge of some of the country's most controversial policies, including its whaling program, strict restrictions on U.S. beef imports over mad cow fears, and strong stance on lowering agricultural tariffs at trade negotiations.
But he was dogged by scandal from the outset, admitting soon after taking office that he failed to declare $8,500 in political donations from a scandal-linked group. Recent media reports had also linked Matsuoka to a bid-rigging scheme involving a government environmental organization.
While other Japanese lawmakers have committed suicide in recent years, Matsuoka was the first Cabinet minister since World War II to kill himself while in office. The government said Environment Minister Masatoshi Wakabayashi will take the agriculture portfolio temporarily.
On Monday, support for Abe's Cabinet hit its lowest level since he took office last year over a fresh scandal involving missing pension payment records for more than 50 million people, who have been unable to get the money they are entitled to receive.
Approval of the Cabinet fell to 32 percent, down 11 percentage points from a similar poll in April, according to a survey by the national newspaper Mainichi.
\"Matsuoka's death is very untimely. It could blow Abe's government away,\" said political analyst Eiken Itagaki. \"Abe will struggle to maintain the slim majority the ruling coalition has in the upper house.\"
Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the industrialized world. More than 32,000 people took their own lives in 2004. The country also has a deep-rooted tradition of ritual suicide, which was considered a way to restore one's honor or take responsibility for failings in feudal Japan.
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