Japanese LDP lawmaker to quit upper house panel post over quake gaffe

A senior ruling party lawmaker plans to step down from a key post in the upper house after coming under fire for describing last year's massive earthquake in central Japan as "fortunate," a source familiar with the matter said Saturday.The blunder by Yosuke Tsuruho of the Liberal Democratic Party, chairman of the influential Budget Committee of the House of Councillors, and its fallout are a major blow to the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, as they face an uphill battle in the July 20 upper house election.Tsuruho made the controversial remarks on Tuesday at a rally …READ FULL ARTICLE