In a fresh blow to the scandal-hit Abe administration, the Finance Ministry¡¯s top bureaucrat, Administrative Vice Minister Junichi Fukuda, was forced to step down Wednesday after a weekly magazine publicized last week a voice recording of what it claimed was him sexually harassing a female journalist.
¡°I can¡¯t continue my duty in this situation,¡± Fukuda, 58, told reporters on Wednesday in announcing his resignation.
Fukuda also reiterated his denial of the allegations made by the magazine, saying he still plans to file a lawsuit against the publisher.
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