Japan's justice minister resigns over wife's alleged election law violations

Japan's Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai on Thursday submitted his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over alleged election law violations involving his wife.

Kawai is the second Cabinet minister to step down in a week, with his decision coming amid allegations made by the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine that his wife, Anri Kawai, who was elected to the Upper House in July, made payments to staff over the legal limit.

Kawai himself is also alleged by the magazine to have sent gifts such as potatoes and corn to voters in his constituency, according to the magazine.

"Neither my wife nor I was aware of the alleged wrongdoings. I will get to the bottom of them and fulfill my responsibility to clear them up," Kawai told reporters after handing in his resignation to Abe at the prime minister's office.

Kawai, 56, a seven-term member of the Lower House from Hiroshima's No 3 constituency, assumed his first Cabinet position in September after serving as state minister of justice and special diplomatic adviser to Abe, among other positions, in a Cabinet reshuffle in early September.

The reshuffle was aimed at garnering more public support for Abe's Cabinet, with the double resignations this month dealing a major blow to the prime minister, his Cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP).

Isshu Sugawara, another new Cabinet member, resigned last Friday as industry minister, over allegations made by the same magazine that his office broke the law by offering money and gifts to supporters.