Japan minister commits suicide, adding to PM's woes
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A scandal-tainted minister in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet committed suicide on Monday, compounding problems for the Japanese leader whose support has already slumped ahead of a July election.
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Japan's farm minister resigned on Monday over illegal dealings at a farmers' group he headed, delivering a fresh blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe just a week after he revamped his cabinet to try to revive his popularity.
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For the third time since he took office in 2001, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has made changes to his Cabinet. The premier installed a team of ministers and top party officials whom he expects will back his key reform efforts.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will  announce a new cabinet on Monday to try to shore up faltering  support a month after his ruling coalition suffered a massive  election defeat.
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US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns expressed sorrow Monday at the suicide of Japan&#39;s farm minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who had been embroiled in a political funding scandal.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe named a new farm minister on Friday, four days after a scandal-tainted predecessor committed suicide, as opposition parties turned the heat up over mismanaged pensions and scandals.
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TOKYO - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi&#39;s entire Cabinet resigned Monday ahead of a planned reshuffle that Japanese leader hopes will solidify his power and boost his ability to carry out reforms.
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Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been admitted to hospital, media said on Thursday, a day after the leader suddenly announced he would resign.
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A senior Chinese official has committed suicide after coming under investigation for economic crimes, overseas media reported on Friday, one of the highest-ranking officials to kill himself in three decades.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose year-old government has suffered a string of damaging scandals and a humiliating electoral defeat, has told ruling party leaders he intends to resign, an official said Wednesday.
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Japan's defense minister resigned on Tuesday over remarks that appeared to accept the 1945 atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe quickly tapped a woman for the post to try to quell the furor ahead of an election this month.
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Japan's farm minister, Toshikatsu Matsuoka -- under fire for a series of political funding scandals -- has killed himself, NHK said on Monday.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was  forced to reprimand his defense minister over a gaffe on  Monday, as his cabinet&#39;s support rates slid below the critical  30 percent level in a poll weeks before an upper house  election.
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Japan's farm minister, Toshikatsu Matsuoka, has attempted suicide but his fate is unknown, Kyodo news agency said on Monday.
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An executive allegedly involved in a bid-rigging scam that has been linked to the suicide of Japan's agriculture minister leaped to his death Tuesday, officials said. The deaths have added to the pressure on a government struggling against a series of scandals.
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Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo  Tokyo, May 30 Kyodo - The following is the full translation of a letter addressed to the public by Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, committed suicide Monday.
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Japan's PM Shinzo Abe rebukes a minister over WWII atom bomb comments, as his poll ratings drop further.