Just over a month after his predecessor committed suicide following a corruption scandal, the new agriculture minister, Norihiko Akagi, is now under intense pressure as details emerge of even more dodgy doings.

Akagi is accused of fiddling his expenses by claiming “123 million yen in personnel, office, and utility expenses” for an office based at his parents’ home registered to a political support group.

When the scandal broke, reporters spoke to Akagi’s father about the group’s use of his home. He was quoted as saying “I didn’t know that. [My son] isn’t engaged in any activities here.”

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Several sources said that Akagi’s father’s home in Chikusei, Ibaraki Prefecture, had been used as an office when Akagi’s grandfather, Munenori Akagi, served as farm minister, but a person listed as the representative of the support group, who formerly served as a member of the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly, said that this was no longer the case.

“It’s not being used now. I didn’t even know that my name was listed as representative,” the former prefectural assembly member said.

By the next day, however, Akagi’s father had issued a denial, saying that what he had MEANT to say (I bet) was that the house WAS in fact used as an office by the group but that it wasn’t as busy as it had once been.

The Prime Minister has thrown his support behind Akagi, saying “This is not such a problem. I heard he has given an explanation.” While I’ve found Akagi’s denial, I’ve not yet been able to uncover any details of the mentioned explanation beyond “It was a simple misunderstanding”.

Mr Akagi meanwhile is not doing much for his father’s image, saying on Sunday, “Members of my support group have often gathered at my father’s home and held various meetings for many years.” It’s just that Dad must simply have missed them. All of them. Every time.