The farm ministry punished six senior officials on Thursday, including its top bureaucrat, for accepting expensive meals with a former head of a major egg producer who has been indicted for bribery.
The development could deal a further blow to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's administration, which is already under fire over a similar scandal involving other elite bureaucrats who were wined and dined by Suga's eldest son and other businesspeople.
The government has already seen its approval ratings tumble over public dissatisfaction with its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.