Agriculture minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka told a fellow lawmaker four days before he killed himself that he had been pressured by the Liberal Democratic Party not to tell the truth about his office expenses, according to the lawmaker's Web site.
Muneo Suzuki, a Lower House member and a heavyweight in the LDP before he was ousted from the party in 2002 and then convicted of taking bribes in connection with foreign aid projects, made the claim on his Web site Monday, the day Matsuoka hanged himself.
Suzuki said Matsuoka, under fire for claiming utility fees for his office even though its utility costs are free, made the remark when the two had a conversation last Thursday. They were longtime friends since their days in the LDP together.