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Japanese minister kills himself
28/05/2007 09:10 - (SA)
Tokyo - Japan's agricultural minister died on Monday after reportedly hanging himself just hours before he was to face questioning in parliament over a political scandal, officials said.
Toshikatsu Matsuoka, 62, was found unconscious in his apartment on Monday and rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead hours later, a Tokyo Metropolitan Police official said.
"We've just confirmed that he is dead," said the spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy.
Matsuoka had faced heavy criticism over a scandal involving suspicious bookkeeping practices in his offices, and was scheduled to appear before a parliamentary committee on Monday afternoon for further questioning.
Government officials confirmed Matsuoka was hospitalised on Monday, but Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki refused to confirm widespread reports that the minister hanged himself from a door in his apartment.
Blow to Abe's government
The reports of suicide were a blow to the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which has been buffeted by scandal and has seen a recent plunge in support ratings.
Support for Abe's Cabinet fell to 32%, down 11% points from a similar poll in April, a survey by the national newspaper Mainichi, taken over the weekend, showed on Monday.
The government's disapproval rating rose to 44%, up from 33%, the Mainichi said. A separate poll by the Nikkei business daily showed Abe's popularity falling to 41%, down 12% points from the previous month. His disapproval rating rose to 44% from 37%.
Both Mainichi and Nikkei cited dissatisfaction with the government's apparent loss of pension payment records for millions of people. It was the latest problem for Abe's government, which has faced financial scandals involving several Cabinet ministers.
Matsuoka had also been dogged by scandal.
He apologised publicly just three days after taking office for not declaring ¥1m (R708 000) in political donations from a scandal-linked group. He acknowledged the undeclared funds, which came in the form of purchased tickets to a fundraising party, saying he was unaware the contributions had not been reported.
- AP
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