Tokyo governor resigns over money scandal

Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose attends a news conference at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Tokyo December 19, 2013. Inose, an author turned politician caught up in a money scandal, announced his resignation on Thursday. [Photos/Agenices]

TOKYO - Tokyo governor Naoki Inose announced his resignation at a press conference on Thursday over his receiving of 50 million yen in cash from hospital operator Tokushukai.

Inose was elected as Tokyo governor on December 16 last year. Tokushukai, the largest Japanese operator of medical facilities, is at the center of an election violation case involving a Diet member.

A resignation would come just three months after a triumphant Inose, one of the most powerful political figures in Japan, returned home after his city won its bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.