Japanese Minister Considering Punishing Herself over Info Leak

July 27, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese internal affairs minister Seiko Noda said Friday she is considering punishing herself over leaks of information to her side by a government agency about a disclosure request from a newspaper.

Noda told a press conference that she is considering taking punitive measures against herself in her capacity of head of a ministry responsible for issues related to the information disclosure law.

The Financial Services Agency revealed records of a January meeting between an agency official and an aide to Noda to her side in May, before they were disclosed to The Asahi Shimbun based on the request.

Noda said it was necessary to make sure that the information disclosure system is operated appropriately so that similar incidents will be avoided.

But she added that she sees no need to review the system now, because the system itself is not an issue in the latest case.

What the system is for and how carefully it should be managed had not been fully shared among officials, Noda said.

At a separate press conference, Financial Services Minister Taro Aso said the agency will thoroughly investigate the case and take punitive action. Jiji Press