\n Japan's hawkish defence minister on Friday said she had resigned over a long-brewing scandal involving the handling of military documents, in a political blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.\n<\/p>\n
\n Abe, who has seen his popularity plummet in recent weeks over a series of controversies, immediately apologised to the nation over the saga.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I decided to resign as defence minister,\" Tomomi Inada told a press conference. \"I submitted my resignation to the prime minister and it was accepted.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Inada, a close confidante of Abe who shares his staunchly nationalist views, was appointed defence minister in August 2016, a time when she was touted as a possible future leader.\n<\/p>\n
\n But her nearly year-long stint has been characterised by repeated controversy, including increasing criticism of the ministry's handling of log reports filed by Japanese peacekeepers in South Sudan showing worsening security.\n<\/p>\n
\n Abe, who became prime minister for a second time in December 2012 with a vow to rejuvenate Japan's economy, has been hit by scandals and gaffes involving members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I apologise from the bottom of my heart to the people for this situation in which a minister resigns,\" Abe told reporters after the resignation.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"All responsibilities lie with me, the prime minister, in the appointment of cabinet ministers,\" Abe said, adding he \"must seriously accept the people's severe criticism\".\n<\/p>\n
\n The most recent setback to the prime minister has been claims he showed favouritism to a friend in a business deal, an accusation he has vigorously denied.\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Severe criticism ' -\n<\/p>\n
\n His government's public support ratings have fallen precipitously over the summer, with voters punishing the LDP in local Tokyo elections early this month.\n<\/p>\n
\n The party suffered a drubbing in the vote for Tokyo's municipal assembly that media and analysts chalked up to a growing perception of \"arrogance\" on the part of his government.\n<\/p>\n
\n It lost more than half of its seats, with the result seen as a bellwether for national political sentiment.\n<\/p>\n
\n Abe will reportedly revamp his cabinet next week in a bid to reboot his government.\n<\/p>\n
\n During her tenure, Inada delighted conservatives but drew domestic and international criticism in December when she prayed at a controversial war shrine in Tokyo -- the day after accompanying Abe on a symbolic visit of reconciliation to Pearl Harbor in the United States.\n<\/p>\n
\n Yasukuni Shrine honours millions of mostly Japanese war dead, but is contentious for lionising senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes by an international tribunal.\n<\/p>\n
\n Days before the Tokyo election Inada called on voters to support the LDP in the name of her ministry and the military.\n<\/p>\n
\n The comments drew widespread condemnation, forcing Inada to retract her remarks, which were seen as a key reason for her party's unprecedentedly bad drubbing in the poll.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Japan's hawkish defence minister on Friday said she had resigned over a long-brewing scandal involving the handling of military documents, in a political blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe, who has seen his popularity plummet in recent weeks over a series of controversies, immediately apologised to the nation over the saga. \"I decided to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-34092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n