The entire leadership of Japan's biggest opposition party resigned yesterday over a scandal surrounding an e-mail falsely accusing a ruling party leader's son of financial links with disgraced Internet company Livedoor.
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) leader Seiji Maehara and his lieutenants' resignations were the latest blow to the group in the scandal, which has deeply damaged the only credible competitor to the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
"It is my responsibility that the problem was not dealt with immediately," Maehara said following his resignation.
PHOTO: AP
The DPJ issued a public apology earlier this month after it found that allegations made by lawmaker Hisayasu Nagata in Parliament -- in which he alleged financial links between the son of LDP Secretary General Tsutomu Takebe and Livedoor Co. -- were unfounded.
Nagata had backed up his allegations with a purported e-mail from Livedoor president Takafumi Horie ordering a company official to pay Takebe's son. But Nagata later acknowledged he was unable to verify the e-mail's authenticity.
Nagata has expressed his intention to give up his parliamentary seat, Maehara said.
The scandal and the resignation of the DPJ leadership have been harsh on the party, which as recently as a year ago was considered a serious contender for the power held by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's LDP.
But the party was decimated in elections for the powerful lower house of parliament in September as Koizumi rode a wave of popularity and support for his reform program.
Maehara took charge of the party after the post-election resignation of leader Katsuya Okada, but under his leadership the party was unable to regain its earlier popularity.
Maehara said he hoped his stepping down would set the stage for the party to rebuild.
"I arrived at my decision to take responsibility as the country's largest opposition party, to win back the public's trust and to achieve the party goal of taking over the government in the next election," he said.
Horie and four other Livedoor executives have been under arrest since January on charges of doctoring financial results, artificially inflating stocks and providing false information about earnings of a subsidiary.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
RSS