Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso, who is facing pressure to resign amid a suspected cover-up of a cronyism scandal, is considering skipping a Group of 20, or G20, finance leaders' meeting in Buenos Aires next week, Reuters reported March 13, citing the Kyodo news agency.
Aso was to join the G20 meeting March 19-20 but is now weighing his attendance amid an opposition boycott of the parliamentary debate on next fiscal year's budget.
Asked whether he may skip G20, Aso told reporters March 13 that the decision will depend on the "present parliamentary situation."
He added: "It is important to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation. To prevent a recurrence, we'll continue to look into the matter and do the utmost to regain [public] confidence."
The parliamentary deadlock followed the finance ministry's admission that it had altered records of a discounted government land sale to a school operator with ties to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife, prompting increased scrutiny on Abe and Aso. Abe has denied involvement in the land sale.
The legislative stalemate could leave two Bank of Japan deputy governor posts vacant when the incumbents' terms end on March 19 as a vote for the replacement nominees requires a vote in both parliamentary houses, Reuters reported.
The scandal's latest turn have also dashed Abe's chances of winning a third term as Liberal Democratic party leader. A poll by the Sankei daily showed 71% of respondents said Aso should resign, while support for Abe's administration slid to 45%, down 6.0 points from February, Reuters said.
The scandal is also weighing on markets. Japan's Nikkei 225 was down 0.16% as of 10:30 p.m. ET, while the yen fell 0.06% against the U.S. dollar at 106.36.
