Japan’s economy minister Amari announces resignation

Japan’s Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Thursday he will step down from his post to take responsibility over allegations he received bribes from a construction company.

Amari said the construction firm executive had visited him at the cabinet office with “gifts”, but denied that he had pocketed any cash, and had instead instructed his aide to record them as political donations.

He was referring to an article that appeared in the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine recently that stated Amari and his aides received cash and were entertained over the past three years with the money involved totaling 12 million yen (about 101,000 US dollars).

He’s said he did receive cash which he desired that his staff mishandled some of it, although declared as a political donation.

Japan’s Economics Minister Akira Amari speaks during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, January 28, 2016.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko told reporters that the time of Amari’s press conference Thursday had yet to be decided.

“I, therefore, would like to resign as minister to take responsibility [for what my aide has done]”, he said, according to Reuters.

Amari’s departure will likely cast a shadow on the economic policy promoted by the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

However, Amari admitted that some 3 million yen (23,150 euros, $25, 250) had gone missing because of mishaps involving his secretaries.

He was also the key mover behind a giant trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he was due to sign in New Zealand next month.

Mr. Amari’s departure is expected to minimize any damage to the Abe government, experts said. He also said: “Anything that hampers this must be eliminated, and I’m no exception“.

His resignation deals yet another blow to Abe, who has championed an economic reform plan, dubbed “Abenomics”.

It comes as Japan’s sputtering economy faces global headwinds emanating from China, sending the Japanese stock market tumbling. The allegations against Amari have become fodder for attacks by Communist Party, Democratic Party of Japan and other members of the opposition, who otherwise are unable to effectively challenge the ruling Liberal Democrats’ overwhelming majorities in the lower and upper legislatures.