Senior Bureaucrat Resigns Over Wining, Dining
A senior official with Japan's communications ministry has resigned after being wined and dined by both a telecom company and a satellite broadcaster.
Communications minister Takeda Ryota announced on Tuesday that he ordered the former vice minister for policy coordination, Taniwaki Yasuhiko, to be suspended from duty for three months for being entertained by telecom giant NTT.
Taniwaki had already been disciplined with a pay cut after a probe found that he had dined with executives from a satellite broadcaster.
He submitted his resignation on the day, and it was accepted.
Minister Takeda said it is highly regrettable that a senior official acted in a way that gravely undermined public trust in official services and ended up quitting his job. He reiterated his apology as the minister in charge.
Takeda vowed to fully investigate the scandal and strive to prevent a recurrence. He added that he will play a leading role in recovering public trust in administration.