A top prosecutor considered a close government ally has submitted his resignation after admitting to wagering money at a mah-jongg game during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Justice Minister Masako Mori told reporters on May 21 that Hiromu Kurokawa, 63, the chief of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office, handed in his resignation after she gave him a warning about the mah-jongg incident.

“(Kurokawa’s) act was very inappropriate and extremely regrettable,” Mori told reporters.

Ministry officials had earlier informed the prime minister’s office that they questioned Kurokawa over a weekly magazine’s report that he played mah-jongg in early May with two newspaper reporters and another individual, sources said.

The sources said Kurokawa admitted to wagering money at those mah-jongg sessions and that he was leaning toward stepping down.

Most forms of gambling are illegal in Japan.

Kurokawa's resignation will likely hurt the Abe administration politically because of the wide perception that he was a close ally.

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in January changed the interpretation of the National Public Service Law to extend Kurokawa’s retirement beyond his 63rd birthday in February.

It was believed that move was designed to allow Kurokawa to take over as prosecutor-general, the top post among public prosecutors, this summer.

The government later came under such heavy fire from opposition parties, celebrities and the public that it decided not to seek passage of related legislation in the Diet.

But the latest development surrounding Kurokawa will likely fuel the criticism and have a major effect on Abe’s future handling of government, a high-ranking government source said.

At a May 21 session of the Lower House Internal Affairs and Communications Committee, Hiroyuki Yoshiie, the senior vice justice minister, confirmed the ministry had questioned Kurokawa but did not provide details, saying the investigation was still ongoing.

“We will deal with the matter in a strict manner based on the results of the investigation,” Yoshiie said. “We will handle this as quickly as possible because we must explain the situation to the Diet and public.”

A report posted in the digital version of the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine on May 20 said Kurokawa played mah-jongg at a Tokyo condominium with reporters of the Sankei Shimbun newspaper as well as an employee of The Asahi Shimbun who once worked as a reporter.

The condominium was the private home of a Sankei Shimbun reporter in the city news section, and the game was held during the nationwide state of emergency over the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the report.

The first session started on the evening of May 1 and extended past midnight. The report said Kurokawa also visited the condominium on the evening of May 13. He returned to his home using taxis paid for by the Sankei Shimbun.

The second mah-jongg session took place on the evening after the Lower House Cabinet Committee deliberated legislation to revise the law to give the government greater discretion in extending the retirement ages of top prosecutors.

The Asahi Shimbun issued an apology in its May 21 morning edition over the involvement of an employee in the mah-jongg session with Kurokawa. An investigation by the newspaper company found that the mah-jongg-playing employee was a man in his 50s, but it remained unclear if he had bet money.

In its apology, the Asahi said, “Although the act was a personal one by an employee outside of working hours, it was done during a time when calls were made to refrain from nonessential trips outside of one’s home, so we apologize for the extremely inappropriate act.”

Although Kurokawa has submitted his resignation, the procedure to make it official is complicated.

Appointments and dismissals concerning his current post, along with the prosecutor-general’s position, must be attested by the emperor under the Constitution after receiving Cabinet approval.

Kurokawa's resignation will be passed on to the Cabinet through the Justice Ministry. The Cabinet will approve the resignation on May 21, and attestation by Emperor Naruhito is expected on the same day to make it official.

Kurokawa was seen as the Abe Cabinet’s choice to take over from Nobuo Inada as prosecutor-general.

When the Cabinet approved changing the legal interpretation regarding Kurokawa’s retirement age, Mori said the move was intended “to deal with investigations and court proceedings of serious, complicated and difficult cases.”

The Diet subsequently deliberated legislation that would revise the law regarding the retirement age of top prosecutors. The proposed legal revision was seen as a retroactive action to legitimize the earlier Cabinet approval to extend Kurokawa’s retirement.

Public criticism erupted, and even former top prosecutors joined in the opposition against the bills.

The government on May 18 indicated it would not seek passage in the current Diet session of the legislation.

After that decision, sources said Kurokawa told close associates that he would have to take responsibility for the confusion caused in Diet deliberations in connection with his own personnel move.