Upper House president resigns

House of Councilors President Inoue Yutaka on April 19 tendered his resignation. He did not specify the reasons for it, but he has been under suspicion that his secretary allegedly received 64 million yen (about 485,000 dollars) from a construction contractor in return for the aide's influence to be used to award the firm a public works project.

Commenting on this on the same day in the Diet Building, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo told reporters, "His resignation came as a matter of course, but he didn't fulfill his responsibility by explaining the facts before the people."

Shii called for the secretary and contractor in question to be summoned for testimony in the Diet.

On the ruling parties' response to the scandal, Shii criticized their "lack of self-cleansing ability."

He said, "Disclosing all the facts of the scandal will regain Upper House credibility, and a thorough investigation is needed to recover political trust among the people." (end)