Governor Naoki Inose bows during a news conference at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office yesterday.
TOKYO: Tokyo’s governor, one of the main faces of the mega-city’s successful bid to host the 2020 Olympics, resigned yesterday after admitting he was naive for accepting an undeclared $500,000 from a hospital tycoon.
Naoki Inose, who was elected head of one of the world’s biggest conurbations a year ago, had faced weeks of intense pressure over suspicions that the money amounted to a bribe in an attempt to influence policy.
“I have decided to resign from the post of Tokyo governor,” Inose told a hurriedly arranged press conference. “I intended to fulfil my duty of explaining to the city assembly, people of Tokyo and people of the nation, but regrettably I could not clear doubts over me.”
Inose was a key figure in Tokyo’s successful bid for the 2020 Olympics and he said his resignation was partially aimed at avoiding a negative impact on preparations for the Games.
The resignation also came a day after the publication of his latest book, whose title translates as “How to Win Through.” The book was ranked sixth on Amazon Japan’s bestseller list at 7.30pm (1030 GMT) yesterday.
Inose acknowledged in November he had received 50m yen from the political family behind the huge Tokushukai medical group before last year’s gubernatorial election.
The money, handed to him in cash, was kept in a safety deposit box and Inose said it was a personal loan that had nothing to do with his campaign for the city’s top job.
Under Japanese election law, campaign treasurers must report all income and donations related to electioneering. Violators can face prison terms of up to three years or fines of up to 500,000 yen.
AFP
