Japan lawmaker quits as scandal deepens

This is the third scandal to hit Japan in as many weeks, adding to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's woes

TOKYO, Japan -- A popular Japanese opposition lawmaker known for her harsh criticism of scandal-tainted foes has given up her seat in parliament after admitting she misused public funds intended for an aide's salary.

Kiyomi Tsujimoto, a leading member of the opposition Social Democratic party who served as the party's policy chief, bowed several times as she handed a letter of resignation to the speaker of the powerful Lower House of parliament.

This is the third scandal to hit Japan in as many weeks. Tsujimoto's own prickly interrogations led two lawmakers to resign from the ruling party in the wake of corruption charges.

Koichi Kato, a faction leader with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, quit from the party last week over influence-peddling allegations. The week before that, fellow LDP lawmaker Muneo Suzuki also left the party in humiliation.

But neither has resigned their seat in parliament despite calls that they do so.

While the Tsujimoto affair is embarrassing for the Social Democrats, it is unlikely to bolster Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in his struggle to restore public support damaged by the LDP scandals.

Controversial practices

Tsujimoto was briefly hospitalized for fatigue Tuesday after doing rounds of TV news programs over the past two days to defend her record. But she smiled confidently as she tendered her resignation.

Tsujimoto had earlier argued that her controversial accounting practices were widespread in the offices of other lawmakers and that the issue should be brought out in the open and debated. She initially denied any misdeeds.

But she flip-flopped over the weekend, telling reporters that she paid a government-salaried secretary only a fraction of her roughly $75,000 annual salary, and used the rest for office expenses.

While doing so is not necessarily illegal, Tsujimoto may have broken a law requiring the reporting of such shifts in payments as a political donation.

The 41-year-old Tsujimoto, elected in 1996, had capitalized on her clean reputation as an activist-turned-politician to embarrass political foes.

Her image as a concerned citizen was strengthened by her role as a co-founder of Peace Boat, a respected Japanese nonprofit organization.