TOKYO (TR) – Hiroaki Nagasawa, a senior vice minister in the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, tendered his resignation earlier this week prior to the release of a report in a weekly tabloid that he allowed his mistress to stay at a housing complex for lawmakers.
According to the October 5 issue of Shukan Bunshun, Nagasawa, 59, gave his mistress access to the dormitory, located in Chiyoda Ward, by providing her a key for use on the weekends. Included in the report is a photograph of a woman placing a key into a door at the facility.
When reached for comment by the magazine, Nagasawa, a member of the Komeito party, which is in a coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party, denied the allegation.
However, Nagasawa announced his resignation from the House of Councillors and his post as vice minister of the Reconstruction Agency on Tuesday.
“As a rule, lawmakers must not let third parties stay in the lodgings, and our party cannot look past this,” Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi said at a press conference on Tuesday, according to the Japan Times (Sept. 26).
Yamaguchi added that Nagasawa had admitted to him that he “clearly broken the rules and (acted) indiscreetly.”
