Two Japanese politicians quit Monday within hours of each other in what is said to be a major setback for the prime minister's efforts to appoint more high-ranking female politicians to his cabinet.
Industry Minister Yuko Obuchi and Justice Minister Midori Matsushima, both members of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, resigned amid allegations they misused political funds and violated election laws, the BBC reported.
Obuchi announced her resignation in a vague speech delivered at a Monday press conference. She did not admit to any wrongdoing in relation to claims her staff inappropriately used thousands of dollars in campaign funds, but said she was leaving because "we cannot let economic policy and energy policy stagnate...because of my problems," the BBC reported.
"I take seriously the impact I have caused," said Obuchi, who served as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's industry minister for less than a month.
Obuchi said she was sorry she would not be able to help Abe reach his goals of creating a "society where women shine," the BBC reported.
Hours later, the prime minister announced that Matsushima was also quitting. Her political career took a legal turn for the worse on Friday when the opposition Democratic Party filed a criminal complaint accusing her of misusing funds when she handed out paper fans with her likeness and political views on them at a recent festival.
The Democratic Party claimed she violated election laws and called for her resignation.
But there are more problems down the road for Abe's female appointees, according to the BBC. Eriko Yamatani, the minister in charge of settling a decades-old mass kidnapping in North Korea, was allegedly seen in pictures with members of a group suspected of promoting hateful ideals against Koreans in Japan.
Abe, who appointed Obuchi along with five other women to his cabinet in September, said she and Matsushima will be replaced within a day.
