The head of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutor's Office, who has been the focus of intense scrutiny over his close relationship with the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, submitted his resignation Thursday following a report that he had participated in a game of mahjong while gambling with newspaper employees.

Hiromu Kurokawa, 63, bet money while playing the game with two reporters from the right-leaning Sankei newspaper and one former reporter with the left-leaning Asahi newspaper for several hours on May 1 and 13, according to a report in the Shukan Bunshun magazine published Thursday.

Justice Minister Masako Mori told reporters Thursday that the ministry confirmed the report.

“This kind of behavior is nothing but inappropriate and it is deeply regrettable,” Mori said.

According to the report, they met at the apartment of one of the Sankei reporters in Tokyo — even though the government has been urging residents to avoid nonessential outings under the coronavirus state of emergency.

The meetings also took place as the ruling party was preparing a highly contentious bill that would have cleared the way for Kurokawa to become the nation’s highest-ranking public prosecutor.

The revelation marks the latest controversy surrounding Kurokawa, who has been seen as having a close relationship with the Abe administration. Even worse, the resignation carries more significant and inevitable political repercussions for the administration, which has already been criticized over its coronavirus response.

The magazine report said Kurokawa had used a hired car provided by the Sankei newspaper, which could also be a public servant ethics violation.

Neither of the newspapers has disclosed the names of their implicated staff members, but the magazine report described the Sankei reporters as covering courts and legal affairs, and the former Asahi reporter, who now works in a noneditorial division, as having covered the public prosecutors’ office.

Source: ANNnewsCH