Forty percent of Japanese questioned think embattled central bank chief Toshihiko Fukui should resign over a scandal in which he invested in a controversial fund, according to a new poll.

The Bank of Japan governor has admitted keeping an investment in the fund of high-profile investor Yoshiaki Murakami, who was arrested earlier this month on allegations of insider trading.

Forty percent believe that Fukui should resign over the scandal, said a survey carried out jointly by the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s best-read daily, and NTT Resonant Inc., an Internet service company.
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Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui has opened a policy meeting with a cloud hanging over him in a scandal seen as weakening his credibility as he moves to end five years of zero-interest rates.

Opposition lawmakers have called for Fukui’s resignation, saying he was unethical to have kept an investment in the fund of controversial manager Yoshiaki Murakami who was arrested on insider trading charges.
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Japan’s government has urged the central bank to maintain zero interest rates to allow the economy to recover as fears of a slowdown in US growth battered global stock markets.

“We hope the Bank of Japan will support the economy with its monetary policies,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe told reporters.
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