JCP Shii calls for both Houses to summon Suzuki again

"Suzuki is now under unremovable suspicions. He should appear as witness again before parliament and resign as a Dietmember."

This is a comment Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo made on what Liberal Democratic Party Dietmember Suzuki Muneo stated on March 11 as a witness under oath.

Referring to Suzuki's insistence that it was natural that a local company be awarded the contract for such aid projects for the Russian-held northern islands which are geographically close to the locality, Nemuro, Shii said:

"He said he should reflect upon what he had done, but stopped short of recognizing the aberration. He is in an anomalous position in which he cannot accept the Foreign Ministry's description of the situation as abnormal."

In testifying before the Lower House Budget Committee, Suzuki explained that he just insisted that companies in the Nemuro district should be awarded the contract but denied that he named a specific company to be awarded.

On this, Shii pointed out that Suzuki knew very well about local companies and that the company which was awarded the contract made donations to Suzuki. "Suzuki must have known that the company was the only one qualified for the contract. It is doubtful that he told the truth," he said.

In the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Sasaki Kensho of the JCP sharply questioned Suzuki if he was aware that there was only one company that was expected to participate in the bid for the contract, and Suzuki said no.

Shii said that an overwhelming majority of the people want Suzuki to resign. (end)