Japanese Vice Education Min. Resigns over Corruption Scandals

September 21, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese government on Friday approved the resignation of vice education minister Kazuo Todani following a series of corruption scandals involving senior ministry officials.

At a cabinet meeting, the government also accepted the resignation of Michiyasu Takahashi, director-general of the education ministry's Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau.

Todani, 61, and Takahashi, 57, relinquished their posts the same day.

Todani's predecessor, Kihei Maekawa, resigned in January last year to take responsibility for the ministry's systematic practice of helping senior officials to land lucrative jobs after retirement.

Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office arrested and indicted two other senior ministry officials over the scandals. One was involved in a case linked to Tokyo Medical University and the other to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

In response, the ministry investigated all ministry officials to see whether they comply with public service rules.

As a result of the probe, the ministry concluded that Todani was wined and dined improperly by a former consultancy executive who played a key role in the scandals. It decided to cut Todani's pay by 10 pct for three months under the ethics code for government employees.

The ministry will also cut Takahashi's salary by 10 pct for two months and the pay of Hiroshi Yoshimoto, 56, director-general of the Higher Education Bureau, by 10 pct for one month.

It decided to reprimand Yasuyoshi Kakita, the 53-year-old chief of the Management and Coordination Division at the minister's Secretariat.

"It is very regrettable that (the scandals) have led to the punishments of senior officials," education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference after the day's cabinet meeting. "We'll strive to restore public confidence."

On Friday, the ministry appointed Makoto Fujiwara, 61, head of the minister's Secretariat, to act as vice minister, and deputy minister Shinjiro Komatsu, 61, to act as director-general of the Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau.

Fujiwara and Komatsu are among the leading candidates to be the next vice minister.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference that the resignations of Todani and Takahashi are "extremely regrettable."

"We'll take thorough measures to prevent any recurrence and make full efforts to regain public trust," he added. Jiji Press