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Japanese Minister ends life

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in Tokyo on Monday he felt "a deep sense of shame" over the circumstances in which Agriculture Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka died on Monday while waging a struggle for his political survival amid allegations of corrupt practices.

Though Mr. Matsuoka's death was reckoned a suicide, Mr. Abe told reporters "it is not appropriate to make presumptions lightly". He was referring to the speculation about the reasons for the death. He said he was not aware of any suicide note.

Mr. Abe hailed Mr. Matsuoka for his "great efforts" that included the initiative of persuading China to agree to import rice from Japan.

If formally confirmed, Mr. Matsuoka's death may well be the first case of suicide by a Japanese Minister since the end of the Second World War which also marked the hara-kiri (ritual suicide) committed by the then Army Minister Korechika Anami, according to regional observers.

Mr. Matsuoka had come under scrutiny by Parliament over the allegations that he had received political donations from contractors who themselves were accused of rigging bids and making "tainted" money. He was also accused of fudging the accounts of a fund management firm over utilities charges.

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