In a stunning development, Democratic Party for the People (DPP) leader Yuichiro Tamaki admitted to an extramarital affair Monday morning after a tabloid magazine published photos of him and the woman he was allegedly seeing.
“The contents of the report are largely true. I would like to offer my sincere apologies not only to my family but also to the many people across the country who had high expectations for me,” Tamaki said at a hastily arranged news conference, adding that he told his wife and son everything, both of whom strongly admonished him.
His admission came just hours after Flash, a tabloid magazine, ran photos on its website of Tamaki, dressed in a hoodie, and a young woman emerging from a wine bar in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
The development means Tamaki is likely to face intense pressure to resign as the head of what is now Japan’s third largest opposition party, though he did not announce his immediate resignation.
Tamaki said his fate was now in the hands of his colleagues, but added that he was not sure if a new leader would be selected by the party today as the DPP needs to confirm the rules for selecting a new head.
The scandal also creates problems for the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito bloc, which had been in discussions with the DPP about some form of cooperation in the session of parliament that opens Monday.
