Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday accepted the resignation of farm minister Koya Nishikawa, under fire in the Diet over a political funding scandal, and named former agricultural minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as his successor. Abe told reporters shortly before 6 p.m. at his office that he had reluctantly accepted Nishikawa's resignation. According to Abe, Nishikawa said the scandal was damaging the
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