Inada resignation adds to Abe's woes

Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada resigned on Friday following weeks of scandal that included the alleged withholding of internal documents, especially those on the daily activities and safety conditions of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force during its UN peacekeeping operations in South Sudan.

Once Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's prot��g�� and a shining female member of the Japanese Cabinet, Inada resigned days before completing one year in office. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will now hold the additional charge of the defense portfolio until a new defense minister is appointed.

Ostensibly, Inada's involvement in the "cover-up" of the self-defense force's activities a year ago in South Sudan, where the Japanese troops were barred from taking part in peacekeeping operations unless the warring parties declared a ceasefire, ended her career. However, the daily activity logs of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force suggest combat between government and rebel forces in South Sudan in July 2016.