The resignation from the Diet of Mr. Koichi Kato, former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, is yet another reminder that corruption is deeply embedded in the nation's political system. He made the decision, rightly, to take "social, political and moral responsibility" for the tax evasion scandal involving his former top aide.
Mr. Kato's departure is particularly pathetic because he was once regarded as a prospective candidate for LDP president and prime minister. Although his standing in the party declined after his aborted "coup" in November 2000, he remained a faction leader until he left the party last month.
His resignation, approved at a Lower House plenary session on Tuesday, is emblematic of the deep-seated malady of money politics that afflicts the nation's largest political party. He may not be directly involved in the tax evasion case, but there is no denying that his fall from grace has been prompted largely by irregularities on the part of his once trusted aide and treasurer, who is charged with receiving kickbacks from public works contractors and using accounting tricks to avoid reporting campaign donations.