Takamori Yoshikawa

is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party who served as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and as a member of the House of Representatives the Hokkaido 2nd district in the Diet.

Early life Yoshikawa was born in Tokyo and grew up in Yoichi, Hokkaido. He became a graduate of Nihon University.

Political career Yoshikawa was elected to the first of his three terms in the Hokkaido Legislative Assembly in 1979 and then to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1996.

On 2 October 2018, Yoshikawa took office as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to 11 September 2019.

Scandal and resignation In late 2020, Yoshikawa was accused of accepting multiple bribes totalling million from Hiroshima-based Akita Foods between October 2018 and September 2019, during his time as agriculture minister.

On 21 December 2020, Yoshikawa announced his resignation from the Diet, citing health reasons and saying he "will not be able to carry out activities that will fulfill the mandate of the people".

Opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan secretary general Tetsuro Fukuyama said he "feel it is wrong to resign without a single explanation concerning the allegations".