Tokyo: Japanese State Justice Minister Mito Kakizawa resigned Tuesday to take responsibility for recommending the use of paid online advertisements in a Tokyo ward mayoral election in April.

His resignation will deal another blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after parliamentary vice education minister Taro Yamada resigned over an extramarital affair only last week.

“I take my responsibility as the appointer seriously,” Kishida said at a parliamentary committee meeting. “I’ll take the matter seriously and do my best to regain citizens’ trust.”

In a call with Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi, Kakizawa, a 52-year-old member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, admitted to advising Koto Ward Mayor Yayoi Kimura’s campaign team to use paid online ads in the April election, which she won.

Kakizawa told Koizumi that he is deeply sorry although he had not recognized the illegality of his proposal.

Jun Azumi, parliamentary affairs chief of the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told reporters that Kakizawa should resign also as a member of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament.

Kakizawa was elected to the Lower House five times. He assumed the post of state justice minister in September this year.

Kimura has expressed an intention to resign as Koto mayor after public prosecutors searched her office over the online ads for an alleged violation of the public offices election law.

JIJI Press