Former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoshikawa submits request for resignation as a member of the Diet Expected to be supplemented i

Former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Takamori Yoshikawa (70), a member of the House of Representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party , submitted a request for resignation to the chairman of the House of Representatives, Tadamori Oshima , on the 22nd . The by-elections for the 2nd district of the House of Representatives in Hokkaido due to Mr. Yoshikawa's resignation are expected to be held on April 25, next year, based on the provisions of the Public Offices Election Act .

　It has been revealed that Mr. Yoshikawa received a total of 5 million yen in cash from the former representative of "Akita Foods" ( Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture ), a major egg producer and seller, during his time as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries . After that, on the 21st, he announced a comment to resign as a member of the Diet, saying, "It will be difficult to fulfill my duties as a member of parliament and I will not be able to do enough activities to meet the mandates of the people" because of my poor physical condition.

　Mr. Yoshikawa was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for the first time in 1996 after the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly, and is in his sixth term. From October 2018 to September 2019, he served as Minister of Agriculture , Forestry and Fisheries under the Abe administration .

　Mr. Yoshikawa announced on the 2nd of this month that the Asahi Shimbun reported allegations of giving and receiving 5 million yen, and that he would resign from positions such as acting chairman of the party's election measures through the office. The secretary-general of the second class to which he belongs also resigned.

　Mr. Yoshikawa was named as a nominee in the presidential election at the same time as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's first election, and served as the secretary general of the election countermeasures headquarters of Mr. Suga's camp. In the subsequent party personnel affairs, he was appointed as acting chairman of the new post, which is the number two of the election committee.

Source: https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASNDQ3513NDQUTFK007.html