TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe was set to accept the Olympic flag in a handover during the closing ceremony at the Rio de Janeiro Games in just over two months.
Instead, Masuzoe submitted his resignation Wednesday, ending a weeks-long bid to stay in power in Tokyo and saddling the 2020 Olympic hosts with yet another scandal.
Masuzoe had come under intense questioning in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly for allegedly using political funds for personal purposes. Japanese media reported that the resignation would take effect June 21.
Masuzoe, a former health minister backed by Japan's ruling party, easily won an election in February 2014, and promised a successful 2020 Olympics.