☰

M. Continuo

Japan's Amari denies pocketing money as bribe


    TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Economy Minister Akira Amari denied on Thursday allegations made by a magazine that he put money he received from a construction company executive directly in his pocket.

    "Putting money in my suit pocket in front of a visitor ... would be lacking dignity as a human being," Amari told a news conference.

    Amari said the construction company executive paid a visit to his room at the Cabinet Office with gifts, but he told his aide to correctly record them as a political donation.

    (Reporting by Stanley White and Leika Kihara; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)