Japan's top admiral steps down as SDF hit by scandals

Japan's top admiral stepped down on Friday amid mounting public distrust of the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces following a recent spate of scandals centered on their maritime branch.Ryo Sakai was replaced as chief of staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force by Akira Saito after the ministry announced a week ago its disciplinary actions against 218 SDF members and senior bureaucrats over the mishandling of sensitive information, among other issues.At the outset of a session for a transition between the two, which was open to the media, Sakai said Saito is the "right person to r…READ FULL ARTICLE