Tokyo – A scandal-tainted Cabinet member who headed Japan’s powerful agriculture ministry hanged himself just hours before he faced questioning Monday over alleged bookkeeping fraud.
Toshikatsu Matsuoka’s death dealt another blow to an ailing government before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s first big test at the polls in July.
An autopsy on Matsuoka, 62, showed he had hanged himself, according to a Tokyo Metropolitan Police official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing policy. He became the first serving Cabinet member to kill himself since World War II.
Media reports said Matsuoka left suicide notes, one addressed to Abe and the public, apologizing for his actions. Police refused to confirm details.
Matsuoka allegedly claimed more than $236,000 in utility fees even though he rented a parliamentary office where utility costs are free.
Matsuoka also faced separate scandals related to bid-rigging and political contributions, triggering calls for his resignation even from within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Abe already has been hit by the departure of Administrative Reform Minister Genichiro Sata, forced to resign in December over allegations of misuse of political funds.
BENICIA, Calif.
Whales make gains, but then stall again
Two whales lost in the Sacramento River encouraged biologists Monday by making progress toward their ocean home but then abruptly halted their journey at a busy bridge.
“Right now they are meandering, but we’re hoping that they get it in their minds to keep going,” said Rod McInnis of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The shift came after an encouraging spurt in which the pair traveled about 24 miles in 24 hours. They were first spotted May 13 and got as far as 90 miles inland to the Port of Sacramento before turning around.
Sightseers swarmed the waterfront near the bridge as the Coast Guard tried to maintain a 500-yard safety zone around the whales. Coast Guard crews hauled swimmers out of the water as they tried to approach the whales, Lt. Larry Curran said.
The calf appeared to be more active, an encouraging sign.
NEW YORK
O’Donnell: I’ll never talk to co-host again
Rosie O’Donnell says she likely will never speak to “The View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck again after an on-air tiff last week that led to O’Donnell’s early departure from the show.
O’Donnell said in a video on her website that “I haven’t spoken to her, and I probably won’t, and I think it’s just as well.”
Her eight-month tenure lifted ratings but no doubt gave heartburn to creator Barbara Walters.
The tiff began Wednesday over O’Donnell’s statement the previous week that “655,000 Iraqi civilians have died. Who are the terrorists?” Talk show critics accused O’Donnell of calling U.S. troops terrorists.
She called Hasselbeck “cowardly” for not saying anything to the critics, which set off their lengthy argument.
LOS ANGELES
“Pirates” world haul: $400 million in 6 days
The Memorial Day weekend affirmed the muscle of the international movie market as “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” set benchmarks with a release in more than 10,000 theaters in 104 countries.
Walt Disney executives said that they had broken out in high fives Monday morning as they learned that “Pirates 3” would surpass $400 million in ticket sales around the world in its first six days of release.
Hollywood has learned to tweak its formula to favor the rising influence of the international market, responsible for more than half of annual box office revenues, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
“Pirates 3” took in $245 million outside of North America, far surpassing the $156 million that the film took in domestically.
BEIJING
Food, drug official sentenced to die
China’s former top drug regulator was sentenced to death Tuesday for taking bribes to approve untested medicines, as the main quality control agency announced its first recall system targeting unsafe food products.
The developments are among the most dramatic steps Beijing has publicly taken to address domestic and international alarm over shoddy and unsafe goods – such as pet food ingredients and toothpaste mixed with industrial chemicals.
The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court convicted Zheng Xiaoyu for taking bribes worth more than $832,000 when he was director of the State Food and Drug Administration, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
BEIRUT
Troops clash with Islamic militants
Sporadic clashes erupted Monday between troops and Islamic militants at a Palestinian refugee camp, injuring one soldier, security officials said.
In Beirut, troops opened fire on a car that sped past a checkpoint outside the airport, killing two people, police said. The capital has been tense following four bombings in eight days and concerns about additional attacks linked to the battle between troops and militants at the camp.
Troops have been besieging the Nahr el-Bared camp since May 20 when fighting erupted with Fatah Islam militants.
Thirty soldiers, 20 civilians and up to 60 militants have been reported killed in the fighting.
