Masakuni Murakami, a senior member of the Liberal Democratic Party, resigned Monday as chairman of the LDP members' general assembly in the Upper House to take the blame for a money scandal involving industrial insurance provider KSD and a former aide.
Murakami, one of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's strongest supporters, tendered his resignation to Mikio Aoki, secretary general of the LDP in the House of Councilors, after it was found that the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office wanted Murakami's former secretary, Upper House lawmaker Takao Koyama, 57, to visit the prosecutor's office and answers questions about the scandal.
Murakami's resignation was accepted on the spot.