Kiyomi Tsujimoto's departure from the House of Representatives last week was caused by the misappropriation of money that the state paid to one of her secretaries as a salary. However, as with so many elected officials before her, the Osaka native's main mistake, at least in the eyes of the media, was that she initially denied having done anything wrong, even though everyone else suspected she had.

Though the weekly magazines can be accused of exaggeration and cynicism, they very rarely make up stories about political malfeasance; probably because, as the only true alternative to the easily intimidated national newspapers and TV networks, they have a kind of self-appointed responsibility to get these things right. So when Shukan Shincho on March 20 reported that Tsujimoto was channeling the bulk of her secretary's state-paid salary for her own uses, everyone believed it.

Still, the ensuing scandal couldn't have been more different from the just-concluded media romp with Muneo Suzuki, whose own downfall Tsujimoto was instrumental in bringing about. Suzuki quit the party but remained in the Diet, while Tsujimoto did the opposite. Suzuki tried unsuccessfully to avoid giving sworn testimony on the floor of the Diet, while Tsujimoto seems more than willing to go ahead and spill her guts, even if it means jail.