Lawmaker Kazuaki Miyaji tendered his resignation Monday as senior vice health minister to take responsibility for allegedly using his political influence to help the grandson of a key supporter get into Teikyo University's medical school.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi accepted the resignation, hoping the incident will not hinder the enactment of medical bills now in the House of Councilors.

"I cannot remain in the post anymore since (the scandal) has hampered deliberation in the Diet," Miyaji reportedly told health minister Chikara Sakaguchi as he expressed his intention to resign.

"I decided to resign with good grace," the 61-year-old Miyaji told reporters later.

It is the first time a senior vice minister, a post newly established when the government reorganized ministries in January 2001, has resigned to take responsibility for his or her actions.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said during his daily news briefing that the post will remain vacant for a while.

The enactment of the medical bills was at stake as opposition parties boycotted deliberations following Miyaji's admission last week that his secretary called university officials to inform the school's president, Shoichi Okinaga, of the grandson's application number before the entrance exam was held. The grandson passed the exam.

The opposition bloc was not placated, however, and refused to resume Diet deliberation unless Miyaji and Okinaga testify before the Diet as unsworn witnesses to clarify the truth of the matter.

The ruling coalition is still discussing whether to accept the opposition's request.

Appearing before an Upper House committee last week, Miyaji said his aide contacted university officials to inform them of the application number. But he denied he had implicitly pressured the university to pass the student, saying he merely wanted to know the exam result before its official announcement.

Tadayoshi Ichida, head of the Secretariat of the Japanese Communist Party, hinted his party will boycott all Diet deliberation if the ruling coalition rejects the opposition's request to summon Miyaji and Okinaga to the health committee.

"(The incident) is not a matter involving only the health committee," he told a news conference. "It concerns the entire government and may affect other committee deliberation."