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Japanese minister caught in mailing costs blunder

Japan's scandal-tainted farm minister admitted a fresh financial blunder yesterday in the latest blow for beleaguered Prime Minister Shinzo Abe just two days before key elections.

Agriculture Minister Norihiko Akagi's secretaries doubly reported some ?200,000 (US$1,680) in mailing costs as part of his political activity expenses, his head office said.

"We deeply apologize for the mistake," his office said in a statement. "We will pay close attention in order not to repeat this."

Akagi has already been under fire over other allegations, including charges that a group of his supporters submitted false expense claims.

Akagi, who was returning yesterday from Beijing where he was promoting Japanese rice, only took up his position last month after his predecessor killed himself amid a separate political funding scandal.

"The scandals involving the farm minister are never ending," said Tadayoshi Ichida, a senior official of the Japanese Communist Party.

"The farm minister must resign immediately," he said.

Abe's popularity has plummeted amid a raft of scandals involving his ministers, two of whom have resigned.

Polls forecast that Abe's coalition will likely suffer a major defeat in Sunday's election.

The vote is for the less powerful upper house of parliament so a defeat would not automatically cost Abe his job, although it would likely lead to calls for him to resign.
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