Japan's trade minister Isshu Sugawara said he was stepping down from his position amid allegations that he violated the election law by giving a supporter in his Tokyo constituency a cash handout, as well as gifts to his supporters, according to local media.

Japan's public offices election law prohibits politicians from making donations to voters in their home constituencies, and, as such, opposition party members have been vehemently calling for Sugawara to step down.

Sugawara, 57, who was only appointed to his Cabinet position last month, according to allegations made by the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine, offered 20,000 yen (184 U.S. dollars) to a bereaved family in mid-October.

The scandal comes at a particularly bad time for Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, who handed Sugawara the trade minister's portfolio just last month in a Cabinet reshuffle aimed at bolstering public support.

Abe accepted Sugawara's resignation and asked Hiroshi Kajiyama to take the helm at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Reuters reported on Friday. 

Kajiyama, who will lead trade talks with Seoul should he accept the appointment, previously held a post in Abe's cabinet as minister in charge of revitalizing local economies.

Japan and South Korea have been locked in a bitter trade dispute since Tokyo this year tightened export controls on materials vital for South Korean chipmakers, and then dropped Seoul from a list of countries eligible for fast-track exports.

(With input from Agencies)