Japanese economy minister Akira Amari resigns after denying bribery allegations
Japanese economy minister Akira Amari has stepped down after he was accused of receiving bribery from a construction company.
The BBC reported Amari told a news conference:
Japan is finally emerging from deflation … We need to pass legislation through parliament for steps to beat deflation and create a strong economy as soon as possible.
Anything that hampers this must be eliminated, and I'm no exception. I, therefore, would like to resign as minister.
This morning he denied allegations by a Japanese magazine that he had taken money from a construction company executive.
Reuters reported that he told a news conference: "Putting money in my suit pocket in front of a visitor… would be lacking dignity as a human being".