Aide to Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno to Resign for Traffic Offense

Tokyo, Jan. 28 (Jiji Press)--A publicly paid secretary to Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno will resign for driving under the influence of alcohol, Matsuno told reporters on Saturday.

The 49-year-old aide to Matsuno drove a car several hundred meters to his home on Friday evening after drinking alcohol alone at an eating and drinking establishment in the city of Chiba, east of Tokyo, according to Matsuno.

He was questioned by a police officer on his way home and tested positive for alcohol levels above the legal limit.

"I apologize unreservedly," Matsuno said. "I take this case very seriously, as I failed to supervise him."

The secretary is slated to submit a letter of resignation to the House of Representatives on Monday, Matsuno said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]