TOKYO, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai resigned on Thursday over allegations that his wife violated the election law, with the abrupt departure creating another setback for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who has now lost two cabinet members in less than a week.
Kawai, 56, stepping down came amid allegations made by the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine that his wife, Anri Kawai, 46, who was elected to the upper house in July, made payments to staff members that were over the legal limit.
She is suspected of paying staff members a daily allowance that exceeds the amount permitted under the law, the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine reported in its online version Wednesday.
It said she paid 13 female campaign announcers double the amount permitted under the law, with the amount thought to be 30,000 yen (276 U.S. dollars) per day.
The excessive payment could be interpreted as Anri Kawai bribing the campaign announcers, with her husband ostensibly complicit as he was in charge of her election campaign.
Kawai himself is also alleged by the magazine to have sent gifts such as potatoes and corn to voters in his constituency, according to the magazine.
"Neither my wife nor I was aware of the alleged wrongdoings. I will get to the bottom of them and fulfill my responsibility to clear them up," Kawai told reporters after handing in his resignation to Abe at the prime minister's office earlier Thursday.
Kawai, a seven-term member of the lower house from Hiroshima's No. 3 constituency, assumed his first cabinet position in September after serving as state minister of justice and special diplomatic adviser to Abe, among other positions, in a cabinet reshuffle in early September.
The reshuffle was aimed at garnering more public support for Abe's cabinet, with the double-resignations this month dealing a major blow to the prime minister, his cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP).
Abe on Thursday took responsibility for the resignations and in terms of Kawai, apologized to the public.
"I feel responsible for causing this because I'm the one who appointed Mr. Kawai as justice minister. I deeply apologize to the people of Japan," the prime minister said.
Abe on Thursday appointed Masako Mori, 55, an upper house member of the LDP, and former minister in charge of addressing Japan's declining birth rate, to replace Kawai.
Isshu Sugawara, another new cabinet member, resigned last Friday as industry minister, over allegations made by the same magazine that his office broke the law by offering money and gifts to supporters.
Following Sugawara's resignation, Kawai has now become the 10th cabinet minister to resign since Abe returned to power in 2012.
