Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is waiting for a doctor's report before deciding the fate of his justice minister who has admitted contacts with members of the Yakuza crime syndicate, a senior official was quoted as saying on Monday.
Keishu Tanaka, 74, checked into a Tokyo hospital on Friday with chest pains, irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure after days of intensifying calls from the opposition for his resignation.
Mr Tanaka, merely three weeks into his job after the latest reshuffle of Mr Noda's cabinet aimed at shoring up his sagging ratings, was responding to a weekly magazine report accusing him of past ties to organised crime.
Mr Tanaka said he acted as a matchmaker at a mobster's wedding and attended a party thrown by the head of a crime group about 30 years ago, explaining that he was not aware of the groom's mob connections or the nature of the event at the time.
The Asahi and Yomiuri dailies said over the weekend that Mr Tanaka's days were numbered and Mr Noda would let him go to minimize the damage.
"Since he is in hospital, I think Mr Noda will handle the matter upon hearing from doctors," Kyodo news agency quoted Democratic Party deputy secretary-general Jun Azumi as saying.
The scandal is the latest in a string of setbacks for Mr Noda and his cabinet since he took over in September 2011 as the Democrats' third prime minister in as many years.
A poll by Asahi showed on Monday that support for Mr Noda's government had fallen below the 20 per cent mark for the first time, a bad omen ahead of a general election that Mr Noda promised in August to hold "soon" but has yet to say exactly when.
Keishu Tanaka, 74, checked into a Tokyo hospital on Friday with chest pains, irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure after days of intensifying calls from the opposition for his resignation.
Mr Tanaka, merely three weeks into his job after the latest reshuffle of Mr Noda's cabinet aimed at shoring up his sagging ratings, was responding to a weekly magazine report accusing him of past ties to organised crime.
The Asahi and Yomiuri dailies said over the weekend that Mr Tanaka's days were numbered and Mr Noda would let him go to minimize the damage.
Advertisement
The scandal is the latest in a string of setbacks for Mr Noda and his cabinet since he took over in September 2011 as the Democrats' third prime minister in as many years.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2012
COMMENTS
Advertisement
5.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Tokyo After Japan Issues Megaquake Alert Japanese Political Candidate Strips In Video To Win Votes, Asks Viewers If She's ''Sexy'' Japanese Scientists Use Collagen To Make Smiling Robots With "Living Skin" 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Ayatollah Khamenei Warns Of "Divine Wrath" If Iran Backs Down Against Israel "Pivotal Moment": Key Doctor Body Resumes Strike 2 Days After Calling It Off Will Go To Gaza Even If It Would "Cost My Life", Says Palestine President Ajit Pawar Says Might Stay Out Of Assembly Polls, Son May Take Over "Pivotal Moment": Key Doctor Body Resumes Strike 2 Days After Calling It Off Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.