House of Representatives lawmaker Kanju Sato tendered his resignation from the Diet on Thursday amid allegations that he pocketed the state-paid salary of a woman falsely registered as his secretary.
The 62-year-old lawmaker submitted his resignation to Lower House Speaker Yohei Kono in the morning and left the Diet immediately afterward without speaking to reporters.
Sato registered a woman as a public secretary, according to media reports, and pocketed her salary. The woman reportedly never worked for his office and received no salary.