World

Japan's Top Aide Steps Down In Disgrace

October 27, 2000 / 10:22 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's top aide resigned Friday over a widening scandal caused by tabloid allegations he had connections with a right-wing extremist and was involved in an extramarital affair.

Hidenao Nakagawa became the second Cabinet minister to step down in disgrace since Mori was tapped to lead Japan's conservative coalition government six months ago.

Nakagawa was chief cabinet secretary, a high-profile position in which he served as the principal government spokesman, making his resignation especially damaging to Mori's prestige.

It was the latest in a series of setbacks for a Prime Minister who has often been his own worst enemy, talking himself into trouble with remarks deemed controversial or indiscreet.

But with elections to Japan's upper house of Parliament slated for next July, analysts said it was unlikely that Mori's job would be immediately jeopardized by the scandal.

"Normally this would be a fatal blow to the prime minister, since the chief cabinet secretary's role is such a central one," said Yasunobu Iwai, a professor of politics at Tokiwa University.

"But with elections coming up soon, the ruling party really has no choice but to stick by Mori's side and hope that Nakagawa's resignation is enough for the public and the other coalition parties."

Nakagawa, a 56-year-old Lower House lawmaker, said at a news conference that his letter of resignation was accepted by the Prime Minister Friday morning.

"I regret from the bottom of my heart having caused trouble for so many people," he told reporters.

Several tabloids have accused Nakagawa of having an affair with a young woman and leaking information to her about a police investigation into allegations she used drugs.

One magazine also linked Nakagawa to a senior member of a right-wing group, carrying an undated photo purporting to show them eating together.

Nakagawa simultaneously faced criticism in Parliament for his attempts to defend Mori's recent revelations about an unsuccessful diplomatic initiative three years ago to secure the release of 10 Japanese citizens allegedly kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s.

Mori caused an uproar for revealing to British Prime Minister Tony Blair last week that Japan had proposed to the Pyongyang government that it arrange for the missing Japanese to be "discovered" living in a neighboring country.

Opposition party leaders slammed that idea as shallow and irresponsible and latched onto the remarks as proof that Mori is an unfit leader.

"This clearly disqualifies him as premier," Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, said Wednesday in Parliament. "The prime minister should step down."

The comment was the latest in a series of slip-ups that have embarrassed the Prime Minister during his first six months in office.

Earlier this year, he shocked many by referring to Japan as a "divine nation"term ringing of Japan's World War II militarism. Ahead of parliamentary elections this summer, he urged undecided voters, who weren't expected to support his party, to stay in bed instead of voting.

"Mori has long been known for his loose lips," said Shigenori Okazaki, a political analyst at Warburg Dillon Read in Tokyo. "But this ... is a diplomatic issue. I think it has really damaged Japan's image."

An increasing number of voters seem to agree.

A poll published Wednesday in the major Asahi newspaper showed Mori's support rate fell from 28 to 23 percent in September. The paper said a separate telephone poll conducted after the weekend summit found Mori's disapproval rating had risen five points to 56 percent.

Nakagawa's resignation came three months after that of Kimitaka Kuze, the country's chief financial regulator, who quit in July after admitting he received perks from banks he was supposed to supervise.

Nakagawa was replaced by Yasuo Fukuda, a 64-year-old ruling-party lawmaker.