Cabinet Official Quits Amid Public Outcry
From Times Wire Reports
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto’s risky appointment of a convicted felon to his Cabinet 11 days earlier ended in disaster for Hashimoto when he accepted the minister’s resignation in the face of massive public outrage and political pressure. Koko Sato, 69, was convicted of taking bribes in the Lockheed scandal of the 1970s and given a suspended prison sentence. At a news conference, Hashimoto bowed deeply and apologized for the “chaos” caused by the appointment.
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