Japan names new minister after gangster scandal

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Wednesday named a new justice minister after the last one resigned in the wake of an uproar over past links with organized crime.

Makoto Taki, who was shuffled out of the post on Oct 1 to make way for the now scandal-tainted Keishu Tanaka, has been put back in his old job, the government announced.

"Former justice minister Taki has a thorough understanding of the workings of justice administration," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said.