Scandal-ridden Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose announced his resignation Thursday for taking money from a hospital operator mired in allegations of election law violations involving a Diet member.
Inose said he decided to step down to prevent the scandal from disrupting Tokyo's preparations to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, which he had played an instrumental role in landing.
"I can't clog up metropolitan government operations any more due to a personal issue. To resolve this situation, there is no way other than to step down as governor," Inose, who had just finished his first year on the job, said during a hastily arranged news conference in the metropolitan government building.