Senior Japanese politician in new scandal

A senior Japanese politician has admitted receiving political contributions over the legal limit, just three days after a cabinet minister was forced to resign for failing to declare political funds.

In the latest scandal to hit the government, the chief cabinet secretary, Hidenao Nakagawa, says he accepted funds from two businessmen three years ago.

Donations of more than five times the legal limit, which is about fifteen-thousand dollars, were channelled to Mr Nakagawa, who's now officially reported the donations and undertaken not to take large sums in future. On Sunday the top banking regulator, Kimitaka Kuze, resigned after admitting that received nearly three million dollars from two major companies. The BBC Correspondent in Tokyo say the latest revelation will further damage the credibility of the government of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service