Japanese cabinet member commits suicide
<noinclude>
{{date|May 28, 2007}}

[[w:NHK|NHK]] has reported the death of [[w:Toshikatsu Matsuoka|Toshikatsu Matsuoka]] (62), the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries of Japan and a member of [[w:Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]]. According to the police of Tokyo Metropolitan and members of Matsuoku including his secretary he was found hanged in a room of the his apartment in [[w:Akasaka, Tokyo|Akasaka]], Minato-ku, [[w:Tokyo|Tokyo]] at 0:18 p.m local time, say the Japanese media including [[w:Mainichi Shimbun|Mainichi Shimbun]].  

Chief Cabinet Secretary [[w:Yasuhisa Shiozaki|Yasuhisa Shiozaki]] confirmed his death but gave no further comment, [[w:Asahi Shimbun|Asahi Shimbun]] reports.

Matsuoka has been in disputes and criticized by the opposition parties since March due to unclear descriptions of annual financial reports of one of his support organizations, which all lawmakers and ministers are legally required to publish. Also in May it was exposed he accepted donation from an organization controlled by Japan Green Resources Agency, which itself is a non-profit organisation settled and which should report directly to the government. Inappropriate financial management of JGRA has been recently revealed and two of it's high positioned staff were arrested on May 24. Mainichi says after those arrests, some lawmakers in the ruling party LDP claimed Matsuoka should resign from the minister seat.     

== Sources ==
*{{source
|url=http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200705280290.html
|title=Farm minister Matsuoka kills himself
|author=
|pub=Asahi Shinbun
|date=2007-05-24}}

*{{source
|url=http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/2007/05/28/k20070528000105.html
|title=自殺図った松岡農相 死亡確認
|author=
|pub=NHK
|date=2007-05-28}}

*{{source
|url=http://www.mainichi-msn.co.jp/today/news/20070528k0000e040069000c.html
|title=松岡農相：首をつって自殺図り心肺停止状態　議員宿舎で
|author=
|pub=Mainichi Shinbun
|date=20070-50-28}}

*{{source
|url=http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/society/28727.html?_nva=17
|title=松岡農水相が自殺　議員宿舎で首つる
|author=
|pub=Asahi Shimbun
|date=2007-05-28}}

*{{source
|url=http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0524/TKY200705240290.html
|title=緑資源機構理事ら６人逮捕　独禁法違反容疑で東京地検
|author=
|pub=Asahi Shimbun
|date=2007-05-24}}

{{publish}}

{{Archived}}
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Asia]]
[[Category:Japan]]
[[Category:Suicide]]

[[fr:Japon : suicide de Toshikatsu Matsuoka, ministre de l'Agriculture, impliqué dans un scandale financier]]
[[ja:松岡農林水産大臣、首つり自殺]]
[[pl:Zmarł Toshikatsu Matsuoka – minister rolnictwa w Japonii]]


</noinclude>
NHK has reported the death of Toshikatsu Matsuoka (62), the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries of Japan and a member of Liberal Democratic Party. According to the police of Tokyo Metropolitan and members of Matsuoku including his secretary he was found hanged in a room of the his apartment in Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo at 0:18 p.m local time, say the Japanese media including Mainichi Shimbun.  

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki confirmed his death but gave no further comment, Asahi Shimbun reports.

Matsuoka has been in disputes and criticized by the opposition parties since March due to unclear descriptions of annual financial reports of one of his support organizations, which all lawmakers and ministers are legally required to publish. Also in May it was exposed he accepted donation from an organization controlled by Japan Green Resources Agency, which itself is a non-profit organisation settled and which should report directly to the government. Inappropriate financial management of JGRA has been recently revealed and two of it's high positioned staff were arrested on May 24. Mainichi says after those arrests, some lawmakers in the ruling party LDP claimed Matsuoka should resign from the minister seat.     

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fr:Japon : suicide de Toshikatsu Matsuoka, ministre de l'Agriculture, impliqué dans un scandale financier
ja:松岡農林水産大臣、首つり自殺
pl:Zmarł Toshikatsu Matsuoka – minister rolnictwa w Japonii
Politics and conflicts Asia Japan Suicide