A Japanese politician who gained notoriety for his repeated tearful outbursts at a news conference has resigned.

Hyogo assemblyman Ryutaro Nonomura generated worldwide attention last week after a video of his antics went viral. He burst into tears and pounded the table repeatedly while struggling to justify dubious travel expenses.

Nonomura is accused of spending nearly 80-thousand dollars on 345 day trips over the past 3 years, with total expenses amounting to 180-thousand dollars. He claims the money was used for political activities.

Nonomura failed to explain his actions before his peers at a 2-hour hearing on Wednesday. He said he "did not recall" and "had no record" of how the money was used.

The prefectural assembly has accepted Nonomura's resignation. It has announced it will press charges against him.