Shii: Diet must summon Kato and Kano as witnesses under oath

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on April 8 said that it is reasonable that former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Kato Koichi announced his resignation from the Diet and that the Diet must summon Kato as a witness under oath.

Shii said that the suspicion concerning Kato was not just about his responsibility as the overseer of his secretary, which Kato as an unsworn witness acknowledged during the day's Diet interpellation. Shii also said that the real suspicion is about Kato's misuse of political funds for personal purposes. In this respect, Kato could have withheld facts, and therefore must testify as a witness under oath, he added.

The JCP chair said that Kato is suspected of using his political influence over public works projects, accepting over several hundred millions yen a year, which went into his pockets and to other politicians. People's tax money has possibly gone to Kato, he said. Kato resigning from the Diet without revealing the facts about this case cannot end the matter, Shii stressed.

On the suspicion concerning a former secretary to Kano Michihiko, former vice president of the Democratic Party of Japan, Shii said that Kano's plea for his innocence, while acknowledging the facts that his political organization called Institute paid the salaries of his secretary and staff member from 1995 to 2001, is untenable. Shii said that it is also necessary for the Diet to summon Kano as a witness under oath.

Shii commented that the scandals over Kato and Kano have a common picture in that the politician and his secretary as a team meddles in public works projects bidding, represents the interests of construction companies, and gets enormous sums of money in return. This is the basic structure on which the LDP overall is based, Shii said.

Shii then criticized Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro for ostensibly proposing a "control" on fund donations from successful public works projects bidders, while asking the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors Inc. for donations. Shii demanded an immediate ban on donations from corporations that take part in public works projects.

Referring to a report that the Kato money was distributed to 74 LDP Dietmembers from all factions, Shii said, "The LDP has a corrupt mentality of trying to buy the prime minister's and president's posts for money. Prime Minister Koizumi, who is most responsible to correct the corrupt mentality, takes no initiative to cleanse the party."

Shii said that the JCP will continue to raise the question of the corrupt structure of the LDP and its lack of self-cleansing ability. (end)