Japan Finance Minister Returns 12 Months Of His Own Salary Over Cronyism Scandal
Some 20 officials in his ministry will also face punishments over the incident.
By John Lim — 05 Jun 2018, 12:26 PM
Japan Finance Minister Taro Aso has said yesterday, 4 June, that he will voluntarily return a year's worth of salary to take responsibility for a cronyism scandal
Aso, who is also the deputy prime minister, apologised and acknowledged the scandal had "hurt" the public's trust in his ministry and the government
"I am voluntarily returning 12 months of my salary as a cabinet minister, as this problem has hurt public confidence in the finance ministry and the administration as a whole," Aso reportedly said as quoted by New Straits Times (NST) through AFP.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Aso is the richest minister in Abe’s cabinet because of his family’s massive fortune made in the mining business. He also earns about 30 million yen a year as a cabinet minister.
In light of the internal probe, he added that around 20 ministry officials will be punished. However, Aso said he will not be stepping down over the incident.
The scandal revolves around the 2016 sale of a plot of land from the transport ministry to a nationalistic organisation for below market rate
The land was sold to Moritomo Gakuen, whose founder was a staunch supporter of Abe, to build a school.
The prime minister's wife, Akie Abe, was listed as the school's honorary president. She then resigned from the post after allegations emerged claiming that she lobbied the government to lower the price of the land.
The scandal was thrown into the public spotlight in March when the removal of references pointing to the prime minister, his wife, and Aso, was uncovered.