Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan came under fire Friday after the prosecutor gambling scandal. Although Hiromu Kurokawa already resigned, people are scrutinizing his close relationship with the Abe.
Kurokawa resigned from his position after a news report exposed his gambling session with reporters during the state of emergency. It came in a time when the government delayed his retirement last January for another six months.
Opposition leaders called on Abe and Justice Minister Masako Mori to be accountable for allowing him to remain as a prosecutor after he reached the retirement age. The prosecutor should have stayed home instead of gambling with friends.
Japanese Prosecutor Gambling Scandal
Based on pay per head bookie sources, the report on the gambling scandal came out Wednesday. The timing was terrible for Abe’s administration because it came in a time when people are criticizing the government for attempting to raise the retirement age for prosecutors.
Critics stated that the extension of Kurokawa’s term violated the law. Following the accusations, the ruling coalition tried to pass a revision that would allow the Cabinet to increase the mandatory retirement age to 66.
According to sports betting software reports, the move led to a backlash by the public. It led to online protests by celebrities. Also, they called for the separation of powers between the judiciary and the executive.
Kurokawa’s mahjong sessions were held on May 1 and May 13. He played with two reporters from Sankei Shimbun and a former reporter of the Asahi Shimbun. Gambling is illegal in the country. As a result, he must face criminal charges. However, the law exempts small bets and often don’t charge infrequent offenders, according to a pay per head comparison site.
The gambling sessions took place when Abe declared a state of emergency in the country. The government asked residents to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus. However, the second-highest-ranking prosecutor in the country visited a friend’s home to play mahjong. That’s why he received a lot of backlashes.
