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Honma resigns as Tax Commission chief over scandal
12/21/2006
The Asahi ShimbunMasaaki Honma, chairman of the government's Tax Commission, said Thursday he will resign after coming under fire for living with a woman in one of the posh government properties he had promoted to sell.
Honma concluded he could no longer resist increasing calls for his voluntary resignation from within the ruling coalition, sources said. He will also step down as a member of the commission.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accepted Honma's resignation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said in a news conference.
"There was a phone call from Chairman Honma this morning, and he strongly insisted that he would like to step down as chairman for personal reasons," Shiozaki said.
The Asahi Shimbun
