Prime Minister
Cabinet Public Relations Secretary
Her abrupt departure is yet another blow to Suga, who has been struggling with falling public support after a series of scandals involving government officials and criticism over his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Yamada, 60, came under criticism after she was found to have been treated to a dinner worth
The dinner was deemed to violate the national public service ethics law, which prohibits receiving favors from stakeholders, as the company runs a satellite broadcasting business to which the ministry grants licenses.
Suga said he deemed Yamada's resignation as "unavoidable" and apologized at a session of the
"I had appointed her as a Cabinet public relations secretary as I had high hopes for her, as someone who had much experience under the previous administration and had also served as a secretary" for then-Prime Minister
"It is very regrettable that she is leaving like this," Suga said, adding the government plans to pick her successor as soon as possible.
The Cabinet press secretary moderates Suga's press conferences, with one possibly being held this week as the government decides whether to lift the COVID-19 state of emergency in the
Kato, the government's top spokesman, did not disclose the amount of Yamada's retirement payment, citing privacy. She had been due to appear in parliament to face questioning over the scandal later Monday.
Eleven officials of the communications ministry were reprimanded last week after they were wined and dined by
Yamada, however, escaped punishment as she has already left the ministry, and the ethics code does not cover an individual granted special status to serve in a government post. She offered to forfeit 60 percent of her salary for one month, or approximately
But according to a source at the prime minister's office, consensus quickly grew that Yamada should be punished more severely after Tohokushinsha announced its president,
The scandal has fanned concerns within the ruling coalition of the
"It's a remarkable chain of negative events," said one former Cabinet member who spoke on condition of anonymity. "If public discontent continues to grow, it will be no laughing matter."
Many officials in the communications ministry voiced surprise and regret over the departure of Yamada, who was a leading figure for women's empowerment, having been
Some others were worried about the possibility that the punishment given to the reprimanded officials could be retroactively made heavier.
"I wonder what would happen to the senior officials who have been treated to meals multiple times when she resigns for being treated to one dinner, albeit it was expensive," said one official.
Yamada's hospitalization, however, came as little surprise in
Former Japanese farm minister
Former
==Kyodo
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