Former Labor Minister Murakami gets jail term

The Tokyo District Court on May 20 sentenced Murakami Masakuni, former labor minister, to a 26-month prison term for taking 72 million yen (about 0.6 million dollars) in bribes in return for peddling his political influence in 2000.

Murakami, an influential Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker at the time, used his question time in parliament in favor of KSD, a foundation related to small- and medium-sized enterprises, which was attempting to get bureaucratic assistance for its plan to construct a craftsmanship college.

Four former KSD executives in their first trial were judged guilty of bribery.

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on the same day published a statement on the judgment, as follows:

The point is that a lawmaker abused his parliamentary position to serve the public by favoring a business organization. The plutocratic structure of the LDP is also shown by Murakami having KSD pay LDP party dues. The JCP again demands that donations from business and organizations be banned in order to end such corruption.

Akahata on May 21 held not only Murakami but the whole LDP responsible for the system of money for political favor politics. (end)