Ruling LDP member quits as upper house panel chief over gaffe

A senior ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker resigned Monday as head of the House of Councillors' powerful Budget Committee over controversial comments he made about a devastating earthquake that hit central Japan last year.The decision by Yosuke Tsuruho, who had described the quake as "fortunate" in showing how public services can be improved, came days ahead of Sunday's upper house election, in which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's LDP and its coalition ally, the Komeito party, face a tough fight. Some LDP members have already voiced concern about the impact of the controversy on the…READ FULL ARTICLE