Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto is under fire for allegedly receiving bribes from a wind-power company, prompting Tokyo prosecutors on Friday to search his offices and leading him to resign as parliamentary vice foreign minister.
Akimoto's resignation from the governmental post is a blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and comes as approval ratings for his Cabinet have recently dipped due largely to issues surrounding the My Number identification card system.
"The incident has raised concerns among the people, which is extremely regrettable," Kishida said during a news conference Friday.