Former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai and his wife, Anri, who are at the center of an election scandal, have decided to quit the ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, party sources said Tuesday.
Katsuyuki Kawai, a Lower House member, and his wife, an Upper House member, are suspected of buying votes in the House of Councilors election in July 2019. Anri won her seat in the poll.
The departures of the couple are another setback for Abe, who is struggling to regain public trust in his administration since it came under fire for its coronavirus response and a gambling scandal involving a top prosecutor during the related state of emergency. Abe has close ties with Katsuyuki Kawai, 57, having trusted him as a foreign policy adviser.