Former vice land minister asked bridge makers for funds

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Former vice land minister asked bridge makers for funds

A support group of a former land ministry top bureaucrat, who will run for an Upper House election this summer as a Liberal Democratic Party candidate, had requested bridge construction companies to buy tickets for his fund-raising party. This was revealed on January 5.

The companies include those involved in a major bid-rigging scandal and have been indicted for it.

The fund-raising party for former Vice Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Minister Sato Nobuaki was held last December with some 2,000 participants, including retired officials of the ministry and construction industry representatives. Directors of Sato's support group mainly consisting of ex-ministry officials requested bridge construction firms last October to purchase the tickets costing 20,000 yen each.

Many construction firms, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, were involved in bid-riggings over building steel bridges under contract with the former Japan Highway Public Corporation and the government. 26 companies were indicted in violation of the Antimonopoly Law. The Tokyo High Court last November ordered 23 firms to pay a fine of 6.5 billion yen.

The request to buy the party tickets was made at a time when the land ministry took strict measures against these construction companies.
- Akahata, January 6, 2007