Japanese farm minister commits suicide
28/5/2007 15:51
Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka
died today after committed suicide by hanging himself, according to NHK.
The
minister hanged himself at a parliamentary housing building in central Tokyo,
the NHK said.
Earlier reports quoting police said the minister was in
critical condition without heartbeats after being sent to hospital.
The
62-year-old minister from the Liberal Democratic Party has been in a quagmire of
a series of political funds scandals, including acceptance of donations from
companies suspected of rigging bid for public works projects.
Two of his
campaign fund management bodies have allegedly received 13 million yen in
donations from 14 Kumamoto-based contractors, who have been awarded construction
projects by the Japan Green Resources Agency (J-Green), a government-controlled
forestry management body suspected of having been involved in rigging
bids.
The minister has allegedly received some 8.5 million yen in donations
from contractors implicated in bid rigging for forestry road construction
projects.
He was demanded by the opposition camp to resign.
Matsuoka
became Lower House member in 1990. The term of farm minister was his first in
the Cabinet.
Xinhua
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