Former farm minister Takamori Yoshikawa said Monday he will step down as a lawmaker after allegedly receiving a total of ¥5 million ($48,000) from an egg production company in western Japan.
The resignation of Yoshikawa, a House of Representatives member from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, would deal a blow to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government, whose support ratings have been plunging over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 70-year-old politician, who served as minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries under Suga's predecessor Shinzo Abe, said through his office that he has been hospitalized and cited health reasons for his resignation.