Mito Kakizawa, a lawmaker indicted on charges of vote-buying and conducting illegal campaign activities in a mayoral election in Tokyo, submitted his resignation to the Lower House speaker on Feb. 1.
Lower House Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda left office without offering any sign he had a responsibility, as the presiding officer of the nation’s primary legislative body and debating chamber, to confront serious allegations against him.
Ruling party lawmakers were nearing an agreement on having former Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga replace outgoing Lower House Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda, senior officials of the Liberal Democratic Party said Oct. 13.
Lower House Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda’s decision to resign comes far too late as it has long been evident that he is not fit for the job as the head of the highest organ of state power.